


Swiftly Falling Snow

by Welfycat



Series: Rachel Snow [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adoption, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Female Harry Potter, Friendship, Gen, Girl-Who-Lived (Harry Potter), POV Harry Potter, POV Severus Snape, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Slytherin, Slytherin Harry Potter, Study Group, Therapy, selective mutism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 81,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25917352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welfycat/pseuds/Welfycat
Summary: When Rachel Snow - the Girl-Who-Lived - is sorted into Slytherin House her life changes for the better. She makes a friend, and then another, and slowly gets used to the idea of magic. One small problem. She hasn’t spoken in three years and waving her wand around does nothing. Her Head of House, Professor Snape, seems determined that she will speak again and learn to cast magic. Rachel isn’t so sure, but she’s willing to try.
Series: Rachel Snow [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880902
Comments: 198
Kudos: 552





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Content Notes: Past child abuse and neglect (discussed), past sexual abuse (discussed), minor canon character death.
> 
> A special thanks to my beta reader EmeraldSnakes who has spent the past two months listening to me chatter about my fic and Harry Potter, and who graciously has edited this fic.
> 
> This fic updates on Saturdays.

“Something from the trolley, dear?” the lady asked as Rachel stepped up after the other kids had gotten what they wanted.

Hesitantly, Rachel pointed to a chocolate frog, a pumpkin pastie, and a cauldron cake.

“Here you go, dear. That’s one Galleon and four Sickles,” the lady said as she handed over the treats that Rachel had pointed to.

Rachel retrieved the money from her pouch and counted out the appropriate coins before going back into the compartment and shutting the door behind herself.

“Don’t you talk?” Draco asked, pausing between bites of the chocolate frog he was holding tightly.

Rachel blushed and shook her head, aware that the rest of the compartment was looking at her.

“Why not?” Pansy, the blonde girl sitting in between Rachel and Draco, asked.

Rachel shrugged. She couldn’t answer that question for a number of reasons. Even when she tried to talk nothing came out, so she had given up on it a long time ago. She opened her chocolate frog, immediately grabbing hold of it. She’d learned that the frogs like to hop around after seeing one of the boys let one loose.

“How is she supposed to answer that if she doesn’t talk?” Draco asked, rolling his eyes. “Hey, what card did you get?”

Rachel raised her eyebrows at the question and still held the frog tightly. It seemed to be squirming less now, but she didn’t intend to eat it until it stopped moving entirely.

“She was raised by muggles, how is she supposed to know?” Pansy asked Draco, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Chocolate frogs come with collectible cards. Check inside the package.”

Rachel did so and found a pentagon shaped card with a picture on it and the name Albus Dumbledore written below the picture. She stared as the man on the card winked at her.

“Well, who’d you get?” Draco asked again.

She held up the card for them to see.

“Oh, Dumbledore,” Draco said, rolling his eyes once more. “My father says he’s the worst headmaster Hogwarts has ever had.” Curious, Rachel read the short biography on the back and then flipped the card over again. Dumbledore was gone. She got the feeling that magic was going to take some getting used to.

“Who do you think is going to be sorted into Slytherin this year?” Pansy asked. “I’m guessing Theodore and Daphne.”

“Seems likely. Probably Blaise as well,” Draco said, looking at the two boys sitting across from him. “Crabbe and Goyle probably have a split chance between Slytherin and Hufflepuff.”

“Hufflepuff?” one of the boys asked. Rachel had yet to figure out which one was Crabbe and which one was Goyle.

“Well you’re not exactly top of the class and Severus likes his students to perform well,” Draco said.

“My dad would kill me if I got sorted into Hufflepuff,” the other boy said.

“Mine too, but fortunately I won’t be,” Draco said.

Rachel wasn’t entirely sure they were joking. Houses seemed like an important thing.

“Where do you think you’ll wind up?” Pansy asked Rachel.

“How is she supposed to answer that if she doesn’t talk?” Draco pointed out again.

Rachel didn’t even know how their Houses were chosen, let alone where she might wind up. Hopefully not Hufflepuff from the sounds of it.

There was a knock on the compartment door before it rolled back to reveal two students already dressed in their Hogwarts robes.

“Excuse me, has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost one,” the girl with bushy hair asked.

“No toads in here,” Pansy said primly.

“Thanks,” the girl said. The two students left, closing the door behind them.

“Longbottom will wind up in Hufflepuff, did you see him?” Draco asked.

“I’d forgotten he was in our year,” Pansy said.

Rachel took a bite of the chocolate frog that had finally stopped moving and smiled. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had chocolate. She ate and listened to Draco and Pansy predicting where other students they knew would wind up being sorted, though neither of them returned to the topic of where Rachel might wind up.

Once they felt the train slow down they got dressed in their robes. The process of disembarking the train was slow and they followed the sound of Hagrid calling for first years to come down by the lake.   
  
A short boat trip later, Rachel in awe at the beauty of the castle rising up into the night sky, and they stood in front of the doors. At last, they were at Hogwarts.

*****

Severus sat down in his seat at the staff table as he watched the returning students settle in at their respective tables. He was reasonably confident in his prefects this year. The sixth and seventh year prefects had proven themselves the year before and Gemma Farley and Nathaniel Crue had both been excellent students and role models over the past four years. With any luck his prefects could deal with most of the issues that this batch of first years would bring, leaving him to manage only the most outstanding problems.

He had been dreading this group of first years all summer for a number of reasons. Several of them would be children of Death Eaters and he expected most, if not all, of those children to wind up in Slytherin. Their parents would have impressed upon them the importance of the Slytherin House being associated with pure blood. Although, at Albus’ behest, Severus had maintained good relations with many of his Death Eater associates, having their children in his House would mean more contact with them than he was strictly comfortable with. Not to mention the added task of trying to subtly steer the children away from following the path that would lead to them becoming Death Eaters.

And then there was Rachel Snow. Another stuck up Gryffindor with life handed to her on a silver platter strutting around the castle. Severus didn’t know what he feared more - that Rachel would remind him of James or remind him of Lily.

Minerva had brought the first years in while Severus had been staring out at his students and he looked them over while the Sorting Hat sung its song. He spotted Draco Malfoy alongside Crabbe and Goyle’s boys. All three would be sorted into Slytherin, undoubtedly. A tall redhead stood near the back. Another Weasley? Merlin, how many children did Molly and Arthur Weasley have? Hopefully this one would be less imaginative than the twins. Fred and George Weasley were only third years but were rapidly approaching the record for students Severus had given the most detentions to and taken the most points from.

The first couple students went to Hufflepuff, then a few to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Millicent Bulstrode and Vincent Crabbe were Severus’ first new students and he applauded while watching them hurry to the Slytherin table. Hopefully Crabbe and Goyle would prove to be a bit more intelligent and hardworking than their fathers.

As he predicted, Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott both went to his House as well, along with Gregory Goyle, Daphne Greengrass, and Pansy Parkinson. All pure-bloods, though he wasn’t familiar with Millicent Bulstrode’s parentage.

There were only a handful of students left to be sorted and when Minerva called out “Rachel Snow” a small girl stumbled forward to put the Sorting Hat on her head. Her hair was a reddish brown and curly where Lily’s had been straight. She wore glasses like James had, but her features were far more reminiscent of Lily. Severus felt a small pang as he remembered Lily sitting in that very spot, hoping they would be sorted into the same House, and the regret he felt when the hat had shouted Gryffindor.

“Slytherin!”

There was scattered applause around the room but Severus found himself still with shock. He’d never imagined James and Lily’s child would be sorted into his House. Rachel had left the platform and gone to sit next to Draco.

The rest of the sorting proceeded apace, Minerva getting the Weasley boy and Severus clapping automatically as Blaise Zabini was sorted into his House.

Albus did his usual tricks with making the feast appear and everyone began to eat and chatter.

“Quite a surprise,” Minerva said as she sat down next to Severus. “I’ll have to admit, I expected Miss Snow to join my House.”

Severus inclined his head. “I had expected that as well,” he admitted.

“I assume this won’t be a problem for you,” she said, neatly serving herself some of the roast chicken from a nearby platter.

Severus brought his full attention to Minerva. Rachel looked more like Lily than she did James, maybe her behavior would follow the same pattern. Regardless, she was a Slytherin. That meant she would receive his protection, just as he’d offer any of the students in his House. “There’s no problem at all,” he said. “Pass the chicken, if you would.”

*****

Rachel was staring at the ghost that was sitting across from her. He wasn’t eating, though she supposed ghosts probably didn’t need to eat. He was wearing heavy chains which clanked whenever he moved and his front seemed to be covered in a silvery substance which she suspected was blood.

She’d never believed in ghosts before seeing a group of them just before the sorting ceremony. Of course, until a month ago she hadn’t believed in magic either. There had been a small childish part of her that had still hoped and imagined, but she hadn’t really believed. It seemed like there were a lot of things she needed to reassess whether or not they were real.

She continued eating, though she was getting quite full. That was a new sensation altogether - she’d never been allowed to eat until she was full at the Dursleys.

“You’re the Bloody Baron, right? The Slytherin ghost?” the boy with light brown skin and black hair sitting next to the ghost asked.

“I am,” the ghost answered, his chains rattling as he turned to look at the boy. “And you, boy, are you a pure-blood?”

“My mom is a witch and my father is a wizard,” he answered steadily.

“But your mother’s mother was muggleborn,” Draco said, settling down his knife and fork. “And, I heard your mother goes through husbands quite quickly. Isn’t she on her seventh?”

The boy set his own silverware down. “It’s hardly her fault. She just has bad luck.”

“And bad taste in men,” Pansy added from where she was sitting on the other side of the ghost.

“Not bad, just expensive,” the boy said casually, causing Pansy to snicker.

Rachel didn’t understand the joke, but wondered how someone could possibly have been married seven times. Aunt Petunia would have had a heart attack at the very thought.

“And you, girl, are you pure-blood? I don’t recognize your family,” the ghost said.

It took a moment for Rachel to realize the ghost was talking to her. She thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. Her mother’s family had obviously been muggles if the Dursley’s reaction to magic was any indication.

“Her mother was muggle-born,” Draco answered for her.

“What, don’t you talk?” the boy across the table asked.

Rachel blushed and shook her head again.

“Good luck doing magic like that,” the boy answered, distracted as their dinners disappeared and dessert appeared.

“He has a point you know,” Pansy said as she took a tart from one of nearby platters. “How are you going to cast spells without talking? Most witches and wizards can do some spells silently, but not until they’ve mastered the basics.”

Rachel shrugged. She hadn’t been aware people could do magic without saying the spell, but maybe she could learn to do it without saying the spells out loud. She glanced to the front of the room, looking over the teachers and winced as she felt a stinging pain in the scar on her forehead. The professor with shoulder length black hair was looking at her and Rachel quickly looked away. That had been weird.

Draco had turned to see where she had been looking. “Oh, that’s Professor Snape. He’s our Head of House. I’ve known him since I was a baby. My father is good friends with him.”

“That sounds useful,” the boy sitting next to the ghost said around a mouthful of food.

“I’m sure it will be,” Draco said with a small smile.

As her classmates finished eating - Rachel had abstained from dessert because she thought she might throw up if she tried to eat any more - Professor Dumbledore got up again and began giving announcements, such as telling them to stay out of the Forbidden Forest, no magic was allowed in the hallways, and that the third floor corridor on the right hand side was off-limits.

“Wonder what they’re keeping in there?” Draco asked.

Before anyone could respond two older students approached where the first year students were sitting.

“I’m Gemma and this is Nathaniel. We’re the fifth year prefects for Slytherin and we’ll be helping you out your first few weeks here. Come with us and we’ll show you how to get to the Slytherin common room and dormitories,” the girl with deep brown skin and long black hair said.

Rachel followed at the tail end of their little group, amazed at how big Hogwarts was. The paintings on the walls moved and talked, the main entrance hall was massive and held a huge staircase, and the hallways were long and windy. They walked for about ten minutes, going deeper down into the dungeons.

“Now, look out for Curbin the Brave and then walk ten paces,” Gemma said, pointing out a painting of a man in green robes holding a sword and shield.

“The current password is Anguis,” Nathaniel said, and the stone wall in front of him formed into a doorway. He and Gemma lead them through. “The password changes every fortnight and will be posted on the notice board. Do not tell anyone outside of our House the password and do not let anyone else in.”

The Slytherin common room was large, with a big fireplace on one wall and a variety of sofas, chairs, and tables around the room. Two large windows looked out underwater, which Rachel figured was probably the lake they’d taken the boats over.

“Now, gather up here. Professor Snape likes to come to talk to us at the start of the term. After he’s done, we’ll show you where your dorms are,” Gemma said, bringing them all closer to the fireplace.

They waited as the older students entered the common room and watched as they gathered in small groups, chatting about their summers and the upcoming school year.

The room fell silent when Professor Snape walked in. He made his way over to stand next to the fireplace and he looked over all of them for a long moment before starting to speak.

“To those of you who are returning, welcome back. To those of you who are joining us, welcome. Slytherin House is your family while you are here at Hogwarts. We help each other and support each other. If you need something, first ask a fellow Slytherin or a Slytherin prefect. If they cannot help you, you can come to me for assistance,” Professor Snape paused as he looked over them again.

“Slytherins comport themselves with pride and respect. Outside these rooms we are a unified front. If you see another Slytherin in distress you come to their aid. Disagreements between House members do not leave these rooms. I do not take points from my own House, however I will not hesitate to assign you detention if I find you breaking the rules,” he paused again, looking at some of the older students, who shuffled or looked away under his scrutiny.

“First years, I advise you to listen to your prefects. They will be escorting you to your classes your first week at Hogwarts as well as providing you with other lessons that will help you succeed in your studies. They will also assist you with forming study groups. Upper year students who have volunteered to lead a study group for the lower years, speak with the prefects about which subjects you are willing to lead. Upper years who are concerned about their schedule, now is the time to speak with me as I will be handing out schedules tomorrow at breakfast. I will be in the common room for the next hour if you need to speak with me. The rest of you should get settled and get some sleep before your first day of classes,” he finished, nodding once and then stepping to the side.

“First year girls, come with me,” Gemma said as people started to talk and move around the common room.

Rachel joined the other girls and followed Gemma down a hallway to the left of the common room.

“First year through fourth year girls bathroom is through here,” Gemma said, pointing at a door on one side of the hallway. “My advice is to shower early or shower at night. Don’t wait until just before breakfast or you won’t get a shower stall.”

“I am not looking forward to sharing a bathroom,” Pansy said.

“None of us do,” Gemma agreed. She came to a stop in front of a dark mahogany door that read ‘First Years’ in silver letters. “And this is your dorm room. There’s only four of you so it shouldn’t be too cramped. There are already silencing charms on your curtains, but let me know if one of them wears off and I’ll renew it for you. Breakfast starts at eight. Meet in the common room just before then and I’ll walk you back up to the Great Hall. Remember, we’re Slytherins. If you see someone oversleeping, wake them up. Do any of you need anything before I leave you here?”

The four girls shook their heads no.

“Alright, in with you then. Try not to be too nervous about tomorrow. We’ll make sure you get to all of your classes on time and the teachers don’t expect much from you on your first day other than that you pay attention and take notes. Goodnight,” Gemma said.

“Goodnight,” two of the girls said. Rachel followed the other girls into their room and found that their trunks had already been placed at the foot of the beds. Rachel’s trunk was by the bed on the wall across from the door. The beds were four-poster with dark green curtains and silvery-grey bedding. Beside each bed was a nightstand and a small wardrobe.

“I’m going to miss having a House Elf,” Pansy said as she opened her wardrobe and then her trunk. She began to unpack her clothes and hang them in her wardrobe.

“Me too,” a blonde girl said as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

Rachel wasn’t sure she wanted to know what a House Elf was. Maybe something like the goblins she’d seen at the bank?

“Well,” the blonde girl said as she finally opened her trunk. “I’m Daphne Greengrass. I know Pansy, obviously, but who are you?”

“Millicent Bulstrode,” the tallest girl in their group said. “You can call me Millie.”

“Pleased to meet your acquaintance,” Daphne said. She then looked at Rachel. “And you?”

“Are you blind, Daphne?” Pansy asked.

“I was trying to be polite,” Daphne said, rolling her eyes.

“Besides, she doesn’t talk,” Pansy said, turning away from where she was hanging her robes up.

Daphne peered at Rachel. “I’m sure you’re just shy. Don’t worry, everyone is a little shy when they first start.”

Rachel could feel her face flushing and she looked away and decided to unpack her own trunk. Daphne would know soon enough that Rachel wasn’t just shy. Or at least, Rachel didn’t think that’s what the problem was. Lots of people were shy, but they still talked.

“Well, I’m sure we’ll all get along just fine,” Daphne said.

Rachel hoped that was true.


	2. Lessons

First Year Slytherin Time Table

1st period: 8:45 - 10:15

2nd period: 10:30 - 12:00

Lunch

3rd period: 1:00 - 2:30

4th period: 2:45 - 4:15

Defense: Monday and Wednesday 1st period (with Ravenclaws) - 3rd floor, classroom 3C

History of Magic: Monday and Wednesday 2nd period (with Hufflepuffs) 4th floor, classroom 4F

Herbology: Monday and Wednesday 3rd period (with Ravenclaws) - Greenhouses

Transfiguration: Tuesday and Thursday 1st and 2nd period (with Gryffindors) - 1st floor, classroom 1B

Charms: Tuesday and Thursday 3rd period (with Hufflepuffs) - 2nd floor, classroom 2B

Potions: Friday 1st and 2nd period (with Gryffindors) - 1st level dungeons classroom

Astronomy: Wednesday at Midnight - Astronomy Tower

Flying: Thursday 4th period (with Gryffindors) - Grounds (Starting September 26th)

Rachel kept her timetable out on her desk while she attempted to take notes. She was hoping to have her schedule memorized by the end of the day. It would help once she saw where all of her classes were.

Being at Hogwarts was challenging in ways she hadn’t expected.

For one, there was no map of the school. The only reason they had made it to classes on time so far was because one of the prefects came for them and led them to their next class. It seemed like there were hundreds of rooms in the castle, and none of this was helped by the portraits and the staircases moving around. To make matters worse, Rachel was sure that students were staring at her as she moved through the halls, some of them even doubling back to get another look at her.

Using a quill and parchment was ridiculous. So far none of the notes Rachel had taken were actually legible. Smears and splashes of ink obscured any letters she managed to clumsily make. Supposedly Gemma was going to teach them the basics of using a quill on Wednesday afternoon, but Rachel had little hope that she was going to get the hang of it. Why couldn’t they just use ball-point pens like muggles?

Looking through her books over the summer had not at all prepared her for the day to day realities of studying and living with magic. People used their wands for just about everything. Some of the plants in the greenhouse moved around. Professor McGonagall could turn into a cat. The diagram on the board at the front of the classroom looked like gibberish. Rachel felt like she didn’t know what people were talking about half of the time. She felt more than a little lost.

They were halfway through their first Transfiguration class and Professor McGonagall was walking up and down the aisles and quizzing students on what they’d just learned.

“Miss Granger, describe one of the dangers of transfigurations,” Professor McGonagall directed, stopping in front of a group of Gryffindors.

“A potential danger, especially in human transfiguration, is that the transfiguration may either become half-transfigured or permanently stuck in the state,” the girl said. Rachel noticed that it was the same girl who had been looking for the toad on the train.

“Very good, two points to Gryffindor for a complete answer,” Professor McGonagall said, moving on. She came to a stop in front of Rachel’s desk. “Miss Snow, what are the four branches of transfiguration?”

This one was actually easy, the answer was written on the board.

“Miss Snow, please either answer the question or tell me that you don’t know the answer,” Professor McGonagall said after waiting a moment.

Rachel felt herself starting to blush and she looked down at her notes.

“Professor McGonagall. Rachel doesn’t talk,” Pansy said, raising her hand.

“Excuse me?” Professor McGonagall asked, looking between Pansy and Rachel.

“She doesn’t talk. Like, at all,” Pansy said, fidgeting under the professor’s gaze.

“Well, Miss Snow, I’m afraid you’ll have to talk here at Hogwarts. Now, can you answer my question, yes or no?” Professor McGonagall asked.

Rachel shook her head no, hating how she could feel her face burning.

“Five points from Slytherin. Please come to my class prepared to answer questions,” Professor McGonagall said. “Mr. Malfoy, name the four branches of transfiguration.”

“Transfiguration, untransfiguration, vanishment, and conjuration,” Draco recited.

“Very good, two points to Slytherin,” Professor McGonagall said, moving on to another group of students.

Rachel hunched over in her chair, her hair brushing against the desk and her notes. Back at her old school they’d just accepted that she wasn’t going to talk. They had her meet with a special teacher for a little while, but after that she’d just been in normal classes. The teachers hadn’t really cared that she didn’t talk, just that she handed in her school work.

Maybe after a few weeks here people would get used to the fact that she didn’t talk and stop asking her questions. She planned on going to the library soon to learn about non-verbal magic. Maybe if she could do the spell work the teachers wouldn’t mind so much that she didn’t say the spell.

*****

“Alright, so here are some self-inking quills. You’ll be using these until you can write legibly without smearing your words,” Gemma said to the group of first year Slytherin students who were gathered around one of the common room tables. She started to pass around the quills.

“Excuse me, can those of us who already know how to write properly be excused from this little lesson?” Draco asked, sounding slightly put out.

Gemma sighed. “For those of you who think you can write well using a regular quill, write your name and a full sentence on one of these pieces of parchment. If I deem it legible you’ll be excused from the lesson.”

Draco, Blaise, Theodore, Pansy, and Daphne all immediately dug for their own quills in their bags.

Rachel picked up the self-inking quill that had been pushed in her direction. It looked just like her other quills except the thick part in the middle was black instead of white.

Gemma looked over the samples of writing she’d been given. “These all look fine, except don’t use calligraphy in your essays. The professors will think you’re wasting time and showing off. Keep your writing clear and simple, especially for Professor Snape. You five are excused.”

Rachel caught a glimpse of Draco’s parchment and mentally groaned at seeing the beautiful writing. She couldn’t even write like that using a regular pen.

Her dismay must have shown because Gemma put the samples away and handed each of the remaining students a blank piece of parchment. “Don’t worry. The only reason they’re so good is because they had private tutors. You’ll get there with practice. Now, these pens have an ever-sharp spell on them, so you don’t have to worry about sharpening the tip. Once you show that you’re ready with one of these quills I’ll show you how to sharpen a quill and use an inkwell. Now go ahead and pick up your quill just like you would a muggle pen. Are you all right handed?”

“I’m left handed,” Millie said. “I’ve used a quill before, I’m just not very good at it.”

“That’s okay, it takes practice. So Millie, you’ll hold the nib of the quill to the right. The rest of you will hold the nib to the left. Now when you’re holding the quill, have it tilt at about a 45 degree angle to the parchment. Go ahead and try to write your names,” Gemma instructed.

Rachel clumsily wrote her name. It was a little better than with the regular quill. At least the ink wasn’t smearing quite so much.

“Here,” Gemma said, reaching for Rachel’s hand.

Rachel dropped the quill and pulled her hand back.

Gemma froze, her hand halfway to Rachel’s quill. “Oops,” she said, seeming to brush the moment off and resting her hand back on the table.

Rachel hated that she could feel herself blushing and she picked up the quill again.

“Okay, scoot your fingers up from the nib, you’re holding it a little too close, and then let the quill rest further back on your finger,” Gemma explained. “Now press the nib gently against the parchment; it doesn’t take much pressure to leave a mark.”

Rachel tried writing her name again and while holding the quill that way was uncomfortable her writing looked better.

“Good. Now practice writing out a few sentences,” Gemma said, then turning to Vince and Greg. “Okay, you’re holding your quills too tightly. And your writing is going to need to be smaller for the professors to accept your essays. Let your quill rest against your finger instead of bunching your fingers up.”

“That’s better,” Gemma said after a few minutes as she looked at Millie’s writing. “Okay, so when you’re done writing a letter or an essay, you want to use sand to dry up the excess ink. The easiest way is to cast Harenae, which you probably can’t do quite yet, so just ask someone else in the House to do it for you. Otherwise you just need to let your parchment sit out to dry for a little while before you roll it up.”

By the end of the lesson Rachel had managed a few sentences that were legible. She still didn’t see why they couldn’t just use regular pens.

“Rachel, could I talk to you for a minute?” Gemma asked as she gathered up the parchment they’d been using.

Rachel tucked away the self-inking quill and watched as Millie walked to the hallway that led to the girls dorms.

Once they were alone at the table Gemma sat down next to Rachel. “I’ve heard some of the other students say that you don’t speak. Is that true?”

Rachel nodded as she looked down at her lap.

“Are you worried about what the other kids will think if you say something?” Gemma asked gently.

Rachel shook her head.

“I probably don’t need to tell you this, but a lot of spells require you to speak in order to use them, especially when you’re first starting out. Maybe you could speak just in class? Would that help?” Gemma asked.

Rachel shook her head again.

Gemma sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you. The professors aren’t just going to let you not talk.”

Rachel shrugged. She couldn’t see what the professors could possibly do about it. And maybe she could learn to do the spells without speaking. She hadn’t had a chance to go to the library yet, but she’d caught a glimpse inside when Nathaniel had shown them where it was and it seemed like there were thousands of books in there. Surely something in there could help her.

“Alright, you’re free until dinner. After dinner you’ve got a study group with Tilly to work on your first Defense essay,” Gemma said.

Rachel nodded, grabbed her bag, and hurried away to the girls dorms. She wondered how many more times she was going to have to have that conversation.

*****

Severus arrived at the staff meeting exactly on time, knowing full well that Albus would be a few minutes late. Most of the staff was already there, with the exception of Sybill, who rarely attended. Severus, like most of the staff, preferred it that way.

Sybill Trelawney had predicted his death precisely once. Severus’ response had ensured she never predicted anything about him again.

He glanced at Quirrell as he passed, noting the way the man’s fingers twitched nervously on the table. Among his many sundry tasks this year was keeping a close eye on Quirrell.

“Severus,” Minerva said in greeting as he took the empty seat to her left side.

“Minerva,” Severus replied, nodding back. “I trust Peaks and Mullins have desisted with their suggestive transfigurations after I spoke with them.”

“At least inside my classroom, though I dare say they continue elsewhere,” Minerva said, sounding a little peeved. “It’s not appropriate for the younger students to see such things.”

Severus prevented himself from rolling his eyes. In his experience even most of the younger students were familiar with basic anatomy. “They are aware that if I hear of any more such transfigurations on their parts that I will be doing more than simply assigning detention. I dare say they will not do so anywhere they would get caught.” He had discovered over the years that non-specific threats worked better than specific threats. Few Slytherin students had dared to test him to see what lay beyond receiving detentions.

“Good,” Minerva said, glancing up as Albus entered the room. “There’s another matter I want to speak to you about. Rachel Snow.”

It was the third day of the school year. What could she have possibly done in that amount of time? “What about her?” he asked, hoping that he wasn’t about to hear that she was bullying other students.

“She doesn’t talk. At all,” Minerva said. “When I asked her a question she refused to respond, and then the Parkinson girl told me that Rachel Snow doesn’t speak.”

“Same in my class, Severus,” Filius added from across the table. “All she’d do is shake her head. It was Malfoy who told me that she doesn’t talk.”

Severus sat back in his chair as he thought to the times he’d seen Snow in the Slytherin common room and in the Great Hall. He hadn’t paid particular attention to her, but he didn’t think he’d seen her speaking to anyone. “I see,” he said.

“Hagrid said something similar to me,” Albus said, standing at the head of the table. “He had thought she was perhaps shy or a little scared. Hagrid said she didn’t speak one word to him the entire time he was with her. Any idea what the problem is, Severus?”

“No, this is the first I’ve heard of it,” Severus said, a little annoyed that this information was only coming to him now. “I’ll look into it.”

“See that you do,” Albus said. “It wouldn’t do to have her falling behind in her classes from the start of the year. Now, let’s proceed with the agenda, if we may.”

Severus kept half an ear on conversations about potential revisions in OWL and NEWT standards coming from the Ministry while he thought about his new problem. It was one he hadn’t the slightest idea how to solve.

He’d had plenty of shy and introverted students over the years - both Slytherin and Ravenclaw attracted their fair share - and several had been rather taciturn. For some of those students, they had talked and interacted more as they got comfortable at Hogwarts and got to know the students and the staff. Others remained more reserved, but generally had a friend or two within the school. Severus had never had a student that simply didn’t speak, and he didn’t recall hearing of any such thing while he was a student himself.

Maybe Snow was homesick or frightened. He knew that coming to a magical school could be overwhelming for children who grew up in the muggle world. Or maybe he was reading too much into it and Snow was an arrogant brat after all.

Severus would have to speak with her and see what he could find out.

*****

It was just past nine o’clock when Severus found Gemma Farley waiting for him outside his office.

“I hope you weren’t waiting long, I was at a staff meeting,” Severus said, knowing that his implication that it was past curfew would get across.

“I know, it was on the schedule you gave us prefects, but I wanted to talk to you today, sir. It will just take a moment,” Gemma said. “It’s about one of the first years.”

Severus had a strong suspicion that he knew which first year she was going to tell him about. “In my office,” he said, opening the door and leading her inside. He took a seat behind his desk and gestured for Gemma to sit in one of the chairs nearby.

Gemma sat down, looking a little nervous. “Sir, it’s about Rachel Snow.”

“I’ve heard that she doesn’t speak,” Severus said.

Gemma nodded. “I’ve taken her to classes, sat near her at meals, and taught her how to use a quill, and she hasn’t said a word. I even asked her if she speaks, and she just shook her head no. Maybe she’s just really shy, but…”

“Thank you for letting me know, I’ll look into it,” Severus said.

“There’s something else I should tell you,” Gemma said. “When I was showing the first years how to use a quill, I reached for Rachel’s hand to change how she was holding it and she jerked her hand back like she thought I was going to hit her. I felt so bad.”

Severus felt his lips tighten into a frown. “I’m sure it’s nothing you did, Miss Farley.”

“No, I know. It’s just, I know from personal experience what kids are like when they’re being hurt,” Gemma explained.

Severus raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t suspected anything of the kind from Gemma Farley. Both she and her older brother had spoken positively of their parents to him.

“Not me, but my cousins,” Gemma said quickly. “My uncle on my dad’s side was beating them, until my mom threatened him and helped my aunt and cousins move away. But my cousins acted like that sometimes, if you’d reach for them too quickly.”

“I see,” Severus said, not letting on how much this information concerned him. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I promise I will check in with Miss Snow and do what I can to ensure her situation is safe.”

“Thank you,” Gemma said, smiling and standing up. “And thank you again for choosing me to be a prefect. I really like working with the younger students.”

“The initiative you’ve shown with the younger students and the fact that you are consistently responsible are among the reasons I chose you to be a prefect,” Severus said. That and she was the only girl in her year who remotely had the grades necessary for Severus to even consider making someone a prefect.

“I think I want to be a teacher after I graduate,” Gemma said, looking at Severus hopefully.

“That’s something to keep in mind when you’re preparing for your OWLs, and we’ll look at the possibility more closely toward the end of the year when we’re picking what classes you’ll continue with,” Severus said. He could easily see Gemma as a tutor or a teacher.

“Thank you!” Gemma said again with enthusiasm.

“Goodnight Miss Farley,” Severus said, hinting again that she should be in the common room.

“Goodnight Professor Snape,” Gemma said, undeterred by the sternness in his tone.

She closed the door behind herself and Severus sighed as he got up and placed his hand on the section of the wall that connected his office to his quarters. After a moment the wall recognized him and allowed him to pass through.

Severus went to the liquor cabinet in his main room, poured himself two fingers of Nepalese Firewhiskey, and then sank into the armchair next to the fireplace. He considered what he had heard today and decided that he clearly had at least one problem.

The first problem, that Rachel Snow didn’t speak, both concerned and irritated him. He didn’t have the slightest idea how to make her talk, other than to wait her out. If she was as stubborn as Lily, that could take all year.

The second problem, that Rachel Snow’s relatives might be abusing her, was something else altogether. He had known Petunia Evans and had found her to be a hateful and spiteful young woman. Severus had no difficulty imagining her striking a child. Even if they had evidence that Rachel Snow’s relatives were abusing her, Severus didn’t know if Albus would be convinced that moving her would be worth sacrificing the protection of the blood wards.

All in all he figured he was going to be in for a difficult year.

*****

Rachel sat down next to Millie in the potions classroom and took out her book, her self-inking quill, and some parchment for notes. This was her first potions class and her first class with her Head of House as the teacher. She was hoping this would go a little better since as far as she could tell from reading through her potions book none of the potions required spells.

“I’ve heard that Professor Snape is a really tough teacher,” Blaise said to Theodore.

“Only if you’re not a Slytherin, and you are a Slytherin, aren’t you?” Draco said from where he was sitting across the aisle.

Blaise rolled his eyes and ignored Draco.

Rachel glanced back at where the Gryffindors were now entering the classroom and wondered how that would work. Professor Snape couldn’t be a tough teacher to just half the class, could he?

Professor Snape entered the classroom shortly after the Gryffindors had taken their seats and called roll. Rachel raised her hand when her name was called and received a brief but intense stare from Professor Snape.

After he finished calling roll he looked over the room. “Potions making is an exact and subtle art, one which is both powerful and dangerous. I will not tolerate foolish behavior and rivalries in my classroom. If you purposely sabotage your own or your classmates' cauldrons you will find yourself ejected from my class and you won’t be coming back. I am willing to teach you, but you must be willing to put in the effort to learn,” he said, his tone both commanding and a little frightening.

Rachel thought Blaise had the right of it - Professor Snape was going to be a tough teacher, no matter what House you were in.

“Miss Snow, tell me what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?” Professor Snape asked, turning to look directly at Rachel.

Rachel shook her head - she had no idea. She’d looked through her book, but hadn’t really understood a lot of what she’d read.

“Miss Snow, you may either say the answer or you may say “I don’t know, sir”,” Professor Snape said.

Rachel swallowed hard and looked away. So much for not needing to talk in Potions.

“Sir,” Draco said, raising his hand. “Rachel Snow doesn’t speak.”

“Thank you Mr. Malfoy, I’ve determined that for myself,” Professor Snape said. “Miss Snow, detention with me, tonight at seven. For all of your information, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion called Draught of Living Death. Now open your books to page eighteen and review the instructions on Cure for Boils, which you all will be attempting to brew today.”

Rachel quickly opened her book and tried to focus on the instructions. She was distracted by wondering what detention was going to be like. She had served some after school detentions at her old school, mostly for when Dudley had destroyed or stolen her homework before she’d handed it in. Most of those times she’d just had to do the homework she was missing or write lines. Hopefully detention at Hogwarts would be the same.

After reading the instructions they began brewing in pairs. Rachel worked with Millie and between the two of them they managed to powder snake fangs, slice pungous onions, and scoop out drops of flobberworm mucus.

Rachel took the cauldron off the fire and Millie added two porcupine quills and began to stir in a clockwise motion.

Across the room a cloud of green smoke billowed out accompanied by a hissing sound as one of the Gryffindor boy’s cauldron melted.

Rachel picked her bag up off the floor and pulled her feet up onto her stool, Millie copying her a moment later as the spilled potion began to spread.

Professor Snape performed a spell that cleared away both the potion and the melted cauldron and stormed over to where the Gryffindor boy was now moaning and his hands were covered in boils. “You added the porcupine quills before taking your cauldron off the fire. Five points from Gryffindor for failure to read the instructions. You,” he said, pointing to the boy who had been sharing the cauldron. “Take him to the hospital wing.”

The two boys left the classroom and Professor Snape returned to the front of the classroom. “Let that be an example of a mild accident that can happen if you fail to adequately prepare for this class. Your potions should be completed by this time. Each of you should fill a vial with your potion, mark your name on the label, and bring it to the front of the classroom to be graded,” he instructed.

Rachel carefully filled two vials, one for herself and one for Millie, and they wrote their names on them. They walked up to the front of the classroom and handed Professor Snape the vials.

He examined the vials, holding them up to see through the clear glass. “Adequate. I will come and vanish the rest of your potion from your cauldron in a moment.”

As Rachel went back to her seat she heard Professor Snape’s evaluations of other students as they brought him their vials. Apparently from Professor Snape “adequate” meant pretty good, especially compared to the comments he was giving other students.

After Professor Snape had gone around and vanished the remainder of the potions and he assigned them an essay on the potion they’d just brewed, the Slytherin first years went back to their dormitories to put their potions equipment away and then up to the Great Hall for lunch.

An owl landed next to Rachel a few minutes after she sat down and offered her its leg.

Carefully Rachel untied the small rolled up note and read it. It was from Hagrid, inviting her to tea the next afternoon.

Rachel showed the note to Millie.

“I haven’t met Hagrid yet. Do you want me to come with you?” Millie asked.

Rachel nodded.

“Okay, we’ll go tomorrow,” Millie said. She pulled a quill out of her pocket and handed it to Rachel.

Rachel carefully wrote on the back of Hagrid’s note that she would be there at two and would be bringing Millie with her and then tied the note back onto the owl’s leg. It flew away again. Rachel wasn’t sure about how sanitary it was to be receiving mail by birds, especially since they flew over and landed on tables with their food, but they were really cute.

*****

Severus glanced at the clock when he heard the knock on his classroom door. It was just before seven. He closed his office door as he exited into the classroom and strode over to open his classroom door. Rachel Snow stood outside, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“Come in,” he said, stepping back to allow her inside.

Rachel did as instructed, coming to a stop a few feet away. She waited, watching him.

“Sit down,” he said, pointing at a nearby table.

She went to the table he had indicated, set her bag on the floor, and sat on one of the stools.

Severus sat down on a stool across the aisle, close enough that he could see her well, but far enough away that he wasn’t crowding her. She looked worried, but not frightened. “Miss Snow, how are you finding Hogwarts thus far?”

Rachel blinked at him.

Severus internally sighed. “Were you able to get to all of your classes alright?”

Rachel nodded once.

“And Miss Farley and Mr. Crue have been able to answer any questions you’ve had?” he asked.

Rachel hesitated but nodded again.

“Good. Do you get along well with your roommates?” Severus asked.

Rachel nodded once more.

“Some of the other teachers have spoken to me. They say that you don’t answer questions or use incantations in their classes. Is that true?” Severus asked this only because he was used to getting biased reports about his Slytherins from the rest of the staff, though he did believe them this time.

She nodded, but looked away.

“Do you understand what they’re asking you to do?” he asked.

Rachel nodded again, her gaze focused on the floor.

“Can you speak, Miss Snow?” Severus asked. He didn’t believe Rachel was stupid, her potion had been adequate and he had seen that she was doing her fair share of the work.

She held still for a moment and then very slightly shook her head no.

“Have you spoken in the past? At any point in your life?” he asked. He didn’t recall Lily or James mentioning there had been something wrong with Rachel while she was an infant, but then again Severus hadn’t spent a lot of time socializing with the Order.

Rachel nodded.

So it wasn’t a physical problem then. “It is important that you speak during your classes. You will need to speak in order to perform spells. Without speaking you will most certainly fail all practical parts of your Charms and Transfiguration classes,” Severus explained. “Would it help for you to practice the spells on your own before you needed to perform them in class? I can ask Professors McGonagall and Flitwick to provide you with a list so you can prepare in advance.”

Rachel shook her head no again.

“Could you write down for me why you don’t want to speak?” Severus asked, reaching the end of his patience. He couldn’t help a student if they wouldn’t tell him what was wrong.

Another shake of her head.

Severus stood up, deciding that he would simply have to wear her down. He had endured torture by the Dark Lord; outwaiting a stubborn student was simple by comparison. “Perhaps you simply need sufficient motivation. You will have detention every night at seven o’clock with me, until you choose to either speak or write down for me why you won’t speak. Understood?”

Rachel nodded once.

“Lines. You will write ‘I will speak when asked a question or when asked to perform an incantation’, I will let you know when you are finished,” Severus instructed. Usually he had students prepare ingredients or clean, but since it was only the first week of term his classroom was in decent shape, and he didn’t trust her skills enough yet to prepare ingredients. Besides, the best thing he could do for himself was to help first years have better handwriting, otherwise he was sentencing himself to seven years of trying to decipher their scribble.

Rachel pulled a quill and some parchment out of her bag and began working.

Severus went back into his office, leaving his door open so he could keep an eye on her, and continued to work on his lesson plans.

*****

Rachel was a little annoyed that she had detention every night for something as simple as not talking but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Theoretically she could write down something for Professor Snape, but she didn’t know what she would write. She just couldn’t talk. Even when she knew the answer to the question or wanted to tell something to someone, the words just wouldn’t come out. And then she’d blush and feel stupid.

A little before two o’clock on Sunday, Rachel and Millie put away their transfiguration homework and walked up through the dungeons, through the entrance hall, and out onto the school grounds.

“You know you don’t have to wear your uniform on the weekends,” Millie said as they followed the dirt path down a hill towards the small wooden house at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Rachel nodded. She did know, she just didn’t have anything else to wear. She’d taken the clothes she’d worn at the Dursley’s house with her, so Aunt Petunia wouldn’t throw them away, but she’d left them in her trunk. They were from a secondhand shop and didn’t fit her right, or had holes or stains, and just generally looked awful. Rachel could live with wearing her school uniform every day. At least it fit and was clean.

“How do you know Hagrid? I heard he’s been the keeper of the grounds for ages. And,” Millie looked around to see if anyone was near them. “I heard that he’s part giant.”

Giants were real? The next thing she knew people would be telling her that unicorns and fairies were real. Hagrid certainly seemed big enough to be part giant.

“Is he nice?” Millie asked a little bit warily as they approached the small house.

Rachel nodded and went up and knocked on Hagrid’s door.

There was a loud barking sound from behind the door. “Hold on a minute,” Hagrid’s voice called out.

Rachel and Millie looked at each other and took a step back.

There was more barking and then the door opened and Hagrid appeared holding the collar of an enormous Great Dane. “This is Fang, he’s a good dog, he’s just happy to see you. Come on in,” Hagrid said, pulling the dog further back so Rachel and Millie could go inside.

It was a one room house with a big fireplace on one wall and a huge bed covered in a patchwork quilt in the back corner. There was already a kettle over the fire and a wooden table with roughly hewn chairs gathered around it. Aunt Petunia would have hated it, so Rachel loved it immediately.

“I’m going to let him go now, though he’s gonna give you a jump at first just push him down,” Hagrid said, letting go of Fang’s collar as the kettle started whistling.

Fang immediately bounded over to them, licking Millie’s face and hands before jumping excitedly at Rachel and doing the same to her. Rachel happily pet Fang’s head and sides. She had always wanted a pet, but Aunt Petunia hated having animals in her home and wouldn’t have let Rachel have a pet anyway.

“Here we go, have a seat and we’ll have tea,” Hagrid said, coming over to the table with a teapot and a plate of rock cakes. “So you’re Rachel’s friend Millie?”

“Millicent Bulstrode,” Millie said, sitting down and accepting a cup of tea from Hagrid. “You can call me Millie. Rachel and I are in the same dorm.”

“Ah, that’s nice that you’re making friends already,” Hagrid said, watching as Rachel sat down, still petting Fang. “And you, Rachel, are you speaking now?”

Rachel shook her head no, petting Fang’s ears as he put his head on her lap.

“That’s alright. Takes time,” Hagrid said. “Fang sure has taken a liking to you. How’s your first week been? Taking to your classes alright?”

Millie proceeded to tell Hagrid all about their classes while they had tea. Rachel eyed the plate of rock cakes but decided to pass as they looked like they had raisins in them. It was weird not eagerly accepting any bit of food offered to her, but they had three big meals a day in the Great Hall. It was nice not being hungry all the time.

“And then Professor Snape gave her detention,” Millie said. “Just because she wouldn’t answer a question.”

“On your first week?” Hagrid asked.

“Yep,” Millie said. Millie didn’t know yet that Rachel had to go back for detention tonight.

“That seems a bit excessive, but I’m sure Professor Snape knows what he’s doing,” Hagrid said.

“At least he didn’t take points like Professor McGonagall did,” Millie said, giving part of her rock cake to Fang, who ate it greedily.

Rachel would rather Professor Snape just took points and be done with it.

“Ah, well, it will get sorted out in time,” Hagrid said with a nod.

Rachel put her empty tea cup down and noticed a scrap of paper sticking out from under the coaster. She pulled it out and read the newspaper clipping, which detailed a break-in at Gringotts bank on July 31st, the same day she and Hagrid had gone to Diagon Alley. The part about the vault that was broken into being already emptied the same day stuck in her mind, as what Hagrid had done could technically be considered emptying a vault, and she held the newspaper clipping out to Hagrid in question.

“Oh, that’s where that went,” Hagrid said, taking the paper from her. “Don’t you worry about that.”

Rachel raised her eyebrows as she watched Hagrid.

“No, nothing at all for you to be worried about,” Hagrid said again. “Now look at the time. You best be getting back up to the castle. You’re welcome to come see me any time you’d like.”

Rachel gave Fang one last pet and allowed herself to be ushered out, now more suspicious than ever.

“Well that was weird,” Millie said as they walked back up to the castle. “Wasn’t it?”

Rachel nodded.

“What was on that piece of paper?” Millie asked.

Rachel shrugged in response. Maybe she could find another copy of the Daily Prophet and show her the article, but even then she wouldn’t be able to explain why it was important.

And it was important. If anything else, Hagrid’s reaction confirmed that something was going on with that package he’d taken from vault 713.


	3. Detentions, Exams, and Decisions

Rachel finally found the book she was looking for -  _ Non-verbal Charms and Tricks _ \- in the Charms section of the library and brought it over to the table in the back of the library where she’d been studying. 

Having detention every night meant she had missed some of the after-dinner study sessions with the upper year students. She didn’t mind too much, but it did mean she had to find time to do the work on her own. She had more than an hour until dinner started and she’d already written the Herbology essay she knew the study group was going to be working on tonight while she was in detention. Now she could spend some time on her own problems.

She opened up the book and began reading but it didn’t take long to realize she was in over her head. The book used terms she’d never heard of and with a quick flip through the pages she found spells that she knew were way beyond what first years used. She flipped back to the table of contents and found a section titled ‘ _ Beginning with Non-verbal Incantations _ ’ and then turned the pages until she reached that section. Why they hadn’t put that at the front, she didn’t know.

“Hello, mind if I join you?”

Rachel looked up and found the girl with bushy hair standing next to the table with her arms full of books. Rachel nodded and gestured at the chair across from her.

The girl set the books on the table and promptly sat down. “I’ve been looking for a quiet place to study. The common room is obviously out and even in the library there are groups of people talking. Honestly. Anyway, I’m Hermione Granger, I’m in Gryffindor. We have Transfiguration and Potions together,” she said.

Rachel nodded again.

“Well, I’m just doing some side research on Transfiguration. My parents are muggles and I only just found out I was a witch this summer when Professor McGonagall brought me my letter. I feel quite behind, which is not a feeling I’m used to. I do quite well in school,” Hermione said, picking one of the books from her pile and opening it.

Rachel could empathize. This was their ninth day at Hogwarts and while she was getting used to going to class and finding the classrooms without a prefect guiding them, she still felt quite lost otherwise. Everyone used magic like it was second nature to them and yet when Rachel watched it almost felt unreal.

“What are you studying today?” Hermione asked.

Rachel held up the book so that Hermione could see the cover.

“Non-verbal magic. That’s supposed to be quite advanced, I don’t think some of the upper years can do it, or at least I haven’t seen them do so often. Of course, I can understand why you would want to learn about it, considering,” Hermione trailed off. “You don’t talk at all, to anyone?”

Rachel put the book back down and shook her head.

“Have you ever talked to anyone?” Hermione asked.

Rachel nodded and fixed her eyes on the list of beginners tips for learning non-verbal magic.

“Did something happen that caused you to stop talking?” Hermione persisted.

Rachel brought her hand up to her throat, remembering the burning pain and how sick she’d been. She’d been shut in her cupboard afterward and she’d lay there thinking she was going to die. That had been a little over three years ago now.

“You could go visit Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing. She’s supposed to be an excellent Healer,” Hermione said.

Rachel shook her head and continued to read about how to focus on both the spell’s effect and the theory of the spell to make it work non-verbally, as well as saying the spell in her mind. Since she knew basically no spell theory, that was going to make this more difficult. The notes she’d taken in Professor McGonagall’s class about changing the matchstick into a needle hadn’t made a lot of sense and even after writing the essay for that class Rachel was a little fuzzy on what it all meant.

“Well, it won’t solve your problems with incantations, but maybe in class you could write down questions you have and someone could ask them for you. Or, when a professor asks you a question, you could write down the answer for them,” Hermione suggested. She had pulled out a quill and was tapping the end of it on a piece of parchment while she thought.

Rachel shook her head again and turned the page to read an example of what a person would do to cast the levitation charm non-verbally. It was a good example because Rachel had already read that far in her Charms book.

“You could sit near me in class, if you want. I’d be happy to ask the professors questions if you wanted to write the questions down for me,” Hermione offered when some time had passed.

Rachel looked up, smiled at Hermione, and then shook her head again. It was nice of her to offer, but it wouldn’t work. The teachers at her old school had tried that when Rachel went back to school after that summer and wasn’t talking. Rachel could take notes in class, write down stuff for essays and assignments, even write lines when directed, but when it came to more personal communication she just couldn’t. She’d hold the pen - or quill - in her hand and it would just shake and she’d feel sick until she finally put it down.

“Well, the offer to sit near me in class is still open, at any rate,” Hermione said. “I think I probably should have asked to be sorted into Ravenclaw after all. I don’t fit in very well with the Gryffindors.”

Rachel smiled again, hoping that it would convey that she understood and would be willing to sit near Hermione in class. She also resolved to sit near Hermione in the library if she saw her here again. She knew all too well what it was like not to have any friends.

*****

Severus sighed heavily as he graded fifth year essays. Almost all of them were going to need to do a lot better if they hoped to make it into his NEWT preparation courses, let alone pass their OWLS. He was not meant to be a teacher, that much was obvious. He cared about the children and wanted them to do well, but he had no desire to teach those who simply had no desire to learn.

A knock on his classroom door let him know that Rachel had arrived.

He walked to the doorway of his office and opened the classroom door with a wave of his hand.

Rachel entered and went to the desk where he’d been having her write lines.

“Do you have anything written down that you’d like to give me, Miss Snow?” Severus asked. He asked this question every time, hoping that Rachel will have given in and written something down for him. He knew she was missing some of her study groups at these detentions and he didn’t want her to fall further behind in classes, but he also couldn’t let her continue not to talk.

Rachel shook her head.

Severus frowned as he considered the problem. “With me,” he said, going back into his office.

Rachel followed him inside and Severus wandlessly shut his office door behind her.

He stared out the window that looked into the Great Lake while he contemplated what he was about to do. He didn’t lightly use legilimency on students. He preferred not to use it on anyone, as he strongly associated it with his time as a Death Eater and as a spy. However, if Rachel would not speak to him in person, maybe she would speak to him inside her own head.

He turned to explain what he was about to do but felt his eyes widen in shock.

Rachel had removed her robes, which were lying on the floor at her feet, untied her tie, and was halfway through unbuttoning her shirt.

“Miss Snow,” he said, causing her to look up at him.

Her expression suggested resignation with a little bit of confusion.

He cast a silent Buttoning charm that rebuttoned her shirt, and another charm that neatly tied her tie. “Put your robes back on,” he instructed, his mind racing as he tried to understand what had just happened.

Over the years a few of the upper year girls had pursued him, and he had firmly told them that it was inappropriate and their affections were better suited toward their classmates. He didn’t think this was one of those times. If Rachel had been a Gryffindor, he’d suspect she had done this purposefully to try to get him in trouble. If he had thought Rachel unintelligent he would have thought another student had put her up to this. Since Rachel was neither a Gryffindor or unintelligent, and she clearly was not pursuing him romantically, this was something else entirely.

He thought back to what Gemma Farley had told him about her suspicions and decided that he thought Miss Farely was probably correct.

“Miss Snow. Nothing like that will happen here in my office or classroom. I do not want to hurt you,” Severus said, keeping his voice even and level.

Rachel stared impassively, now wearing her robes again.

“Sit down,” Severus said, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his desk. He sat down behind his desk and once Rachel was seated he continued speaking. “I am going to use a branch of magic known as legilimency. It will allow me to briefly enter your mind. I will stay at the upper surface of your thoughts and call your name. You should be able to answer me just by thinking. Do you understand?”

Rachel nodded once, though her expression suggested she was uncertain.

“Alright. Look into my eyes and I will enter your mind,” Severus said, holding her gaze and then slipping inside.

His mental projection of himself immediately landed against a large wooden wall. He looked along the wall but was unable to see anything but wood in each direction and mist behind him. “Rachel?” he called, though he knew it was probably fruitless. “Can you hear me?”

Most occlumency shields were less literal than a wall. They tended to be moving projections of elements that allowed thoughts to rise and fall in a controlled manner. That way a series of memories could be placed above the shield to allow a legilimens to believe they had penetrated their subject’s mind. Severus had once been in the mind of someone who used a forest swaying in the wind as their occlumency shield - it had been very effective.

“Rachel?” He tried again. “If you can hear me, lower your barrier so we can speak.”

He pushed lightly against the barrier but didn’t make a real effort to break it. If Rachel’s mind was already damaged, and that was the reason she didn’t speak, he didn’t want to break any supports that may be maintaining her sanity. After another few minutes of waiting he left her mind.

“Are you familiar with the term occlumency?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“Has anyone ever taught you to meditate, or to clear your mind of thoughts?” Severus asked. It was the only way he could imagine an untrained witch or wizard accidentally learning occlumency, and even then only if it was a birth power.

Rachel shook her head again.

Severus frowned as he considered her and then shook his head. It appeared he was going to have to take other measures if he wished to communicate with Rachel. “You’re dismissed for the night. Go straight back to the common room,” he instructed.

Rachel nodded, picked up her bag, and then left.

*****

Severus watched his House from the staff table as he finished eating dinner. The House Elves had made roast beef and potatoes for the evening meal, which wasn’t one of his favorites. Under other circumstances he might have only eaten lightly and returned to his quarters after the meal to request something else through the floo, but tonight he needed to stay.

He’d arranged for Poppy to perform a check-up and a medical history exam on Rachel Snow this evening and he planned to take Rachel to the hospital wing directly from the Great Hall. Rachel was currently sitting with the other first year Slytherins and seemed like she had almost finished her meal. The students around her were chattering eagerly but Rachel hardly seemed to notice.

Severus remembered sitting at that table, feeling similarly isolated until a few of the upper year students had taken interest in him. It had been easy for him to fall prey to their friendship and their stories of power and dark ritual, in part because he had been so isolated. He didn’t think it was likely that Rachel Snow of all people would turn to the dark, but that sort of isolation was something he watched for in all of his students because it usually indicated there were other problems that needed to be dealt with.

The tables cleared of the dinner platters and apple pies and custard tarts appeared in their place. When Severus saw that Rachel did not take any dessert he got to his feet and walked down to the Slytherin table. Most students stopped talking as he passed, their gazes curious. He reached the first years after a moment. “Miss Snow, if you would come with me, please.”

Rachel got to her feet, seeming unaware of Millicent Bulstrode’s worried expression, and looked up at Severus.

Severus nodded and walked away, aware of the students immediately turning to gossip. Rachel followed him, her pace quick to keep up with his long strides.

The walk only took a few minutes and they arrived at the hospital wing.

Rachel immediately balked and Severus turned to her. “I will not be pleased if you run off. This is just a check-up to see if Madam Pomfrey can do anything to help you be able to speak again,” he said, balancing his tone between stern and what he hoped was comforting.

“Ah, Miss Snow,” Poppy said as she came out of her office and walked over to them. “Right on time. Now if you’ll go behind the privacy curtain and change into this we can get started. No need to worry, this won’t hurt at all.”

Rachel accepted the gown she’d been handed and after a moment walked over to enter the privacy screen, her shoulders slumped.

After a few minutes Poppy approached the screen. “Are you all changed, dear?”

There was no answer.

“I’m just going to peek inside to see if you’re ready,” Poppy called after a moment. She looked inside and then disappeared behind the privacy screen. A moment later privacy wards appeared in a flash so that no one could hear them if someone happened to come down to the infirmary.

Severus conjured a chair, folded his arms, and sat down near the entrance to wait. He’d had more than one student try to run off from one of these exams and he’d learned to be in place to perform a barrier spell before the student could race out into the rest of the castle.

Early in his career he’d petitioned Albus for each incoming first year to have a check-up and medical history exam. Too often they didn’t see the signs that something was wrong, whether it be abuse from a family member or undiagnosed illness, until the situation had become untenable. Albus had said that prominent families in the Ministry would object if they tried to perform such exams on a large scale and that they should only be performed when a staff member had reason to suspect they were necessary.

Severus had objected that it was clear those families had something to hide, which Albus hadn’t commented on. He had merely stated it was a fight they couldn’t win and that if Severus believed one of his students was ill or in danger, then he could bring them to the hospital wing.

Severus always made the effort to get to know his students and to offer guidance when he saw that something was amiss, but he knew from personal experience that when children were determined to hide their situation there was little he could do.

After about fifteen minutes Poppy emerged from the privacy screen and went to her storage room. She returned a few moments later and then went back behind the privacy screen.

Severus could tell even at a distance what potions she’d carried with her. A Nutrient Restoration Potion, designed for people who were undernourished or otherwise lacking in certain nutrients, was in the tall green bottle. Bruise Paste was in the medium white jar. And a Scar Reduction Serum was in the small brown bottle.

It appeared that Miss Farley was correct in her suspicions.

Poppy reappeared a few minutes later and went to put the potions away.

Rachel emerged from the privacy screen, dressed in her uniform and robes, looking pale and drawn.

Poppy returned. “Now, remember to return once a week to receive your Nutrient Potion. Every Thursday, right before dinner. Understood?”

Rachel nodded.

Severus walked over to them. “Do you need Miss Snow for anything else?”

“No, we’re finished,” Poppy said, making a note on the parchments on her clipboard.

“Miss Snow, can you get back to the Slytherin common room from here by yourself?” Severus asked.

Rachel nodded again.

“You may consider your detentions complete,” Severus said. “Go back to the common room and join your study group.”

Poppy waited until Rachel had left before speaking. “In my office, Severus.”

Severus followed Poppy into her office and they both sat down.

Poppy flipped through the papers on her clipboard. “She’s malnourished, but it’s hard to say at her age whether or not that’s the cause of her short stature or if she’s just yet to hit a growth spurt. She’s broken her right arm twice and her collarbone once. I found scars on her back from being beaten, likely with a belt or whip, as well as bruising suggesting she’s been beaten recently.”

Severus felt his jaw clench at the description. This was Lily’s child she was talking about. “Did you find anything to suggest why she can’t speak?”

“She has scarring in her throat and esophagus, though as far as I can tell it shouldn’t prevent her from speaking,” Poppy explained. “I would guess that she swallowed some sort of corrosive muggle potion, though whether that was on accident or she was forced to, I couldn’t say. I can’t treat the scars with anything we have on hand here as none of our Scar Reduction Serums are intended to be ingested.”

Severus thought about that - he wasn’t aware of anything that removed scarring that was safe to be ingested. “I’ll look into it.”

Poppy nodded. “You may want to take her for a consultation at Saint Mungo’s. I’d suggest Healer Widgeton, he’s a specialist in treating damage from potions.”

Severus paused. “Was there any indications of sexual abuse?”

“Nothing concrete. Her hymen is broken, but that’s not uncommon in active girls at her age,” Poppy said, looking back at her notes. “Do you have reason to suspect sexual abuse?”

“She attempted to undress in my office yesterday,” Severus said.

“Two potential indicators of sexual abuse in children are hypersexuality and a lack of awareness of when something is or is not a sexual situation. Keep a close eye on her, Severus. While I hate the thought that someone here at Hogwarts might take advantage of her, we can’t dismiss the possibility,” Poppy said as she made a note on the parchment. “I would be making a report to Family Services if I wasn’t aware that Albus was the one who placed Rachel with her relatives. As it is, I’m not quite certain what to do.”

“I will speak with Albus,” Severus said, steeling himself for the confrontation. “Update Rachel’s file with your findings and recommendations. If I can’t make Albus see reason, then we’ll proceed with Family Services.”

“Thank you, Severus. Out of all people, I think Albus will listen to you,” Poppy said. “I’ll have everything filed and ready for Albus to access by tomorrow.”

Severus nodded and stood up. He had a lot of work to do between now and tomorrow. “Thank you, Poppy.”

*****

Rachel was only a few minutes late for her potions study group, led by sixth year prefect Leander Wickes. They were reviewing the Herbicide Potion, which they would be brewing in their class the next day.

“Lionfish spines are always used powdered, never add a whole lionfish spine to your cauldron,” Leander explained. “Now when a potion’s instructions say just say powdered you should use your mortar and pestle to ground it into a very fine powder. There should be no chunks. If the instructions say a rough powder there should still be chunks, but they should be no bigger than two or three millimeters.”

Rachel quickly sat down next to Millie and started taking notes. Thanks to all of her detentions her handwriting with a quill was slowly becoming more legible. And now that she didn’t have detention anymore she would have more time to research and practice non-verbal magic.

It took some effort to keep her attention focused on the properties of lionfish spines and flobberworm mucus. Her mind kept going back to her visit to the hospital wing.

It had been awful. Madam Pomfrey had frowned and muttered while performing spells, and then she’d seen the bruises on her back and legs and put some sort of potion on them. Which had felt disgusting, but she was no longer sore. Rachel didn’t know what the whole point had been if Professor Snape had been trying to get her to talk. Clearly there wasn’t anything Madam Pomfrey could do.

Leander released them after forty-five minutes of going over the potion and Rachel gathered her things and went back to her dorm room with Millie at her side.

“What happened? Why did Professor Snape ask you to go with him?” Millie asked once they were inside.

Rachel set her bag onto her bed and started to unpack. She met Millie’s gaze briefly and gave half a shrug.

“Right. I guess he just wanted you to do your detention early or something,” Millie said, pulling books out of her own bag. “Are you okay?”

Rachel nodded. She still felt gross from the stuff Madam Pomfrey had put on her, but she was okay. She put the books she had used today back onto the shelf in her wardrobe and pulled out her potions book and the essay she had written earlier in the week that was due tomorrow.

“That’s good. I’m glad you got to join our study group tonight,” Millie said, watching what Rachel was doing then going to collect her own potions book.

The door opened and Pansy and Daphne came inside.

“Why did Professor Snape take you to the hospital wing?” Pansy asked as soon as the door was shut.

Rachel turned to face them and felt herself starting to blush. How had they known?

“David Zeek, a third year, said he saw you come out of the hospital wing,” Daphne supplied. “Did Madam Pomfrey fix your voice?”

Rachel shook her head.

“Clearly not,” Pansy said. “You know, I don’t think it’s fair for teachers to take points from you when you can’t talk. Especially if Madam Pomfrey can’t even cure you.”

“Then it’s not fair for Professor Snape to give her detention for it either,” Millie said as she sat down on the end of her bed. “It’s not Rachel’s fault she can’t talk.”

Rachel wanted to tell them that she didn’t have detention anymore, but she guessed they’d figure it out when she didn’t go tomorrow.

“But how is she supposed to do magic?” Daphne asked. “She’ll fail out if she can’t pass the end of year exams.”

“Is that true?” Millie asked. Rachel wanted to know that as well.

“I’ve never heard of that happening,” Pansy said. “Besides, look at Crabbe and Goyle. I bet they won’t pass their end of year exams either.”

“Crabbe and Goyle may be stupid, but they can still do magic,” Daphne said, taking her hairbrush out of her wardrobe and settling in to brush her hair.

“I’ve yet to see evidence of that either,” Pansy said. “Besides, Rachel is the Girl-Who-Lived. They can’t let her fail out of school.”

There it was again. Rachel had heard that a few times before, but she didn’t know what it meant. Yes, she was alive. But so were a lot of people.

“I’m sure they’ll figure something out,” Millie said, watching Rachel with a worried expression.

Rachel hoped that was true. At least now she had more time to work on non-verbal magic.

*****

On Friday afternoon, after his double period with the third year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, Severus tossed a handful of floo powder into his office fireplace. “Headmaster’s office.”

He waited a moment for the connection to establish and then leaned forward to speak into the green flames. “Albus, may I have a few moments of your time?”

“Come on through, Severus,” Albus called back a moment later.

Severus ducked down and entered his fireplace, and after a brief whirling sensation he stepped out into the Headmaster’s office.

Albus was sitting behind his desk, which had books spread out over the surface. “Ah, yes Severus. What can I do for you? Would you like a lemon drop?” he asked, looking over his glasses at Severus and gesturing to the small dish of candy on the edge of his desk.

“No, thank you,” Severus said. He sat down in one of the chairs in front of Albus’ desk. “I’d like to talk to you about Rachel Snow.”

“Have you gotten her to speak?” Albus asked.

“No, though that is one of the things I’ve come to talk to you about,” Severus said, watching Albus’ reaction carefully. Maybe it was leftover from the time that he had spent serving the Dark Lord, but the awareness that came with being around a very powerful wizard prickled against his mind.

“This needs to be resolved and soon,” Albus said. “Has Poppy looked over her?”

“Yes, I took Rachel to have a check-up and a medical history exam yesterday. The results should be in her file. Would you look at them now?” Severus asked.

Albus opened a drawer in his desk and after a moment of searching pulled out a thin file. He set it on his desk and quickly read through it. “I take it you agree with Poppy’s recommendation that Rachel be removed from her home?”

“I do,” Severus said. “I’m aware that the blood wards offer Rachel substantial protection, but they will do Rachel little good if she’s not able to use magic.”

Albus sighed. “I asked Petunia to look after Rachel as if she were her own child.”

Severus frowned. He knew Petunia well enough to know how unlikely that was. “Let us hope then that she does not have a child of her own, if this is how she would have treated them. Albus, I believe that Rachel will not speak as long as she believes she will be returned to her relatives. I’d like to take her to the Healer at Saint Mungo’s that Poppy recommended.”

“Yes, I believe a specialist is in order. But her living situation…” Albus trailed off thoughtfully.

“We cannot have it known that she is being removed from her living situation until the matter is settled legally. There are too many Death Eaters who have favor with the Ministry that would use the opportunity to take her into their homes,” Severus said, pressing on the fact that Rachel should be moved to a safe situation, rather than arguing the point. Albus didn’t respond well to force or threats.

“You have someone in mind who should take her?” Albus asked.

“I would be the logical choice,” Severus said. He had spent the night debating this before coming to a decision. Rachel was Lily’s child. Lily never would have wanted Rachel to stay with Petunia in the first place. He thought that Lily would want him to adopt Rachel at this point.

“Please forgive me, Severus,” Albus said, a tilt of his eyebrow giving away his surprise. “I had never been under the impression that you liked young children.”

Severus forced himself to maintain eye contact and to not raise his occlumency shields. “In general, I don’t. However, in this case, there is an exception. I’ll admit I don’t know Rachel well, but she’s one of my Slytherins, she’s in need of protection, and who better than me to defend her against Death Eaters and the Dark Arts? And, she’s Lily’s child.”

“She’s Lily and James’ child,” Albus corrected gently.

“Yes, she is,” Severus agreed. “I believe I can provide a reasoned perspective on James, should she ask me about him.”

“You truly believe she won’t speak unless we remove her from her relatives' care?” Albus asked.

Severus sneered at the word ‘care’. “I do, but that’s beside the point. It would be inhumane to send any of our students back to an environment where they are being hurt. We will need Rachel to trust us, especially if the signs you are seeing come to fruition. How could she ever trust us if we continue to send her back there.”

“And you are certain you wish to adopt her? I don’t have to tell you how much of an added responsibility that would be,” Albus said.

Severus felt Albus brush against his mind and he let him see his genuine desire. “All the more reason it should be me, since I am well equipped to handle what may come.”

Albus nodded. “You’re aware that you wouldn’t be able to resume your former role in the Order, should you adopt Rachel?”

“Yes,” Severus said, aware that he had won his argument. He wasn’t exactly sad about not returning to spy on the Dark Lord - he wasn’t as reckless with his life as he had been when he was young. “I believe I would better serve the Order in the role of Rachel’s guardian.”

“I see that you are set on this,” Albus said, an unnamable expression flickering across his features. “I will quietly arrange this with the Ministry. It may take a few weeks.”

“Thank you, Albus,” Severus said as he stood up. He felt like he had won a decisive battle.

“Talk to Rachel about this, see if she has any objections while there is still time to make changes,” Albus instructed.

“I will,” Severus said, wondering how Rachel would make her objections known if she had any.

“Keep me apprised of her condition and let me know what the Healer from Saint Mungo’s has to say,” Albus said, waving Severus toward his fireplace.

“Of course,” Severus said, moving to take some floo powder from the silver tray Albus had sitting on the mantle. “Thank you.”

Albus nodded and returned to his books.

*****

They had a free day on Saturday. No lessons, no study sessions with the upper years, and no detention. As they finished lunch, Rachel met Millie’s eyes and then pointed in roughly the direction of Hagrid’s home.

Millie paused, the rest of her sandwich halfway to her mouth, and then her expression brightened in understanding. “You want to go visit Hagrid after lunch?”

Rachel nodded, relieved that Millie had known what she meant.

“Hagrid? Why would you want to visit Hagrid?” Draco asked from across the table.

“Because he’s nice,” Millie said, stuffing the rest of her sandwich in her mouth.

“My father says sometimes Hagrid gets drunk and tries to do magic and sets his hut on fire, and then the Headmaster has to go put it out,” Draco said, causing Crabbe and Goyle to laugh.

Rachel frowned. She didn’t think that was true, partially because she had seen Hagrid do a little magic and he seemed okay at it, but people did all sorts of things when they were drunk.

“Well, he’s nice to us, and he has a dog, and we like to visit,” Millie said, grabbing her goblet of pumpkin juice. She drained it and stood up. “Ready, Rachel?”

“Have fun,” Draco said sarcastically.

Millie rolled her eyes and walked away, Rachel following her.

They were almost to the doors when Rachel spotted Hermione sitting by herself with a book at the Gryffindor table. Rachel reached out and tugged on Millie’s sleeve.

Millie came to a stop. “What?”

Rachel led her over to the Gryffindor table and stopped next to Hermione.

“Oh, hello Rachel,” Hermione said, looking up from her book. She looked at Millie. “I’m Hermione Granger.”

“Millie,” she said by way of introduction. “I think Rachel wants you to come visit Hagrid with us.”

Rachel nodded.

“Who’s Hagrid?” Hermione asked.

“He’s the keeper of the grounds. He’s nice. We like to go have tea with him on the weekends,” Millie explained.

“Alright then,” Hermione said. She closed her book and put it in her bag.

The trio made their way out onto the grounds and followed the dirt path down to Hagrid’s house.

Rachel paused in the garden in front of his house, curious as to what he was growing. Little pumpkins, only a few inches wide, were growing on vines that wound all around the patch.

“Found my pumpkins, did you? Don’t worry, they’ll be big as Fang by Halloween,” Hagrid called, coming around from the back of his house. Fang bounded toward them, barking as he saw them.

Hermione yelped in surprise and stumbled back.

“Fang, you big nut, stop that,” Hagrid called as Fang bounded eagerly around Hermione before racing over to see Rachel and Millie.

Rachel eagerly petted Fang, letting him slobber all over her.

“Don’t mind him, he’s harmless,” Hagrid told Hermione. “I don’t think I know you.”

“I’m Hermione Granger,” Hermione said, offering Hagrid her hand.

“Pleased to meet you, Hermione,” Hagrid said. It was almost comical, seeing Hermione’s small hand encased in Hagrid’s giant one as they shook hands.

“You’ve made friends here with Rachel and Millie?” Hagrid asked. “That’s good. It’s good to see students in different Houses getting along, especially Gryffindor and Slytherin. There’s a lot of bad blood there.”

“Bad blood?” Millie asked.

“Back from the time of the founders of Hogwarts. That’s not to say there have never been friendships between the Houses. Rachel, your mom and Professor Snape were fast friends through most of their time at Hogwarts,” Hagrid explained.

Rachel looked up from where she was scratching Fang behind his ears. She’d learned a little about her parents on the night Hagrid had come and told her she was a witch, such as her parents hadn’t died in a car accident, but instead had been blown up. She wished she could ask Hagrid what he knew about her mom and dad.

“Rachel’s mom was a Gryffindor?” Hermione asked.

“That she was, and her dad too. Gave everyone a bit of a shock to see Rachel sorted into Slytherin,” Hagrid said.

“Slytherin’s not a bad House,” Millie said defensively.

“Never said it was, but oftentimes Houses run in families,” Hagrid explained.

“All of the Weasleys are in Gryffindor,” Hermione said.

“My mom was a Slytherin, but my dad was a Ravenclaw,” Millie said. “And most of my mom’s family were Slytherins, but my dad was muggleborn.”

“I think my parents probably would have been Ravenclaws, if they had come to Hogwarts,” Hermione said thoughtfully. “I think that the hat should have sorted me there after all. It was considering it for a long time, but then decided on Gryffindor.”

The hat had considered Gryffindor for Rachel as well, but had ultimately decided on Slytherin. Given how lonely Hermione was in Gryffindor, Rachel felt the hat had been right in picking Slytherin for her.

“The sorting hat knows what it’s doing, Hermione. If it placed you in Gryffindor, it had a good reason,” Hagrid said, patting Hermione on the shoulder and nearly knocking her to her knees. “Now why don’t you all come in for a cup of tea and tell me about your week.”

Rachel followed them inside, Fang trotting along with her. She was glad that she had found friends so quickly after arriving at Hogwarts.


	4. Saint Mungo’s and Shopping

On Tuesday evening Rachel stood outside the door to the potions classroom and waited. She had received a note at breakfast asking her to meet with Professor Snape at his office at 7:30 tonight. She hoped this didn’t mean he’d changed his mind about giving her detention every night.

Gemma had looked at the note, when Millie had asked if that meant she had detention again. Gemma had said that it would have said detention in the note if Professor Snape had meant it to be a detention, but Rachel wasn’t certain.

After a minute the door opened revealing Professor Snape staring down at her. “Come in,” he instructed.

Rachel followed him into the classroom and found that two redheaded boys were working busily at scrubbing cauldrons.

“Keep working, I will be keeping my eye on you,” Professor Snape said to the boys, then turning to Rachel. “In my office.”

Rachel followed him into the office, aware that Professor Snape was watching her carefully.

“Sit down,” he instructed, pointing to a chair. He pulled out his wand and a silvery shimmering bubble appeared around them briefly before disappearing. “A privacy ward, so we can speak, but I can keep the door open to watch those miscreants.”

Rachel sat and watched as Professor Snape sat down behind his desk.

He paused and seemed to consider her before speaking again. “There is something I’d like to discuss with you. Given the results of your medical exam, the Headmaster and I have decided that you should no longer live with your relatives. As a result, I will likely be adopting you. It is not confirmed yet, but I wanted to make you aware of the proceedings. Did you have any objections or concerns?”

Rachel couldn’t help but stare. She had a lot of concerns and possibly some objections. Why would Professor Snape want to adopt her? What did he want from her? Was this a usual thing in the wizarding world? Did that mean she wouldn’t ever have to go back to the Dursleys?

“I understand that it is a big change. However, I believe it would be for the best,” Severus continued when Rachel didn’t respond. “What your relatives were doing to you was wrong. No child should grow up in such a situation.”

Rachel blinked. How could Professor Snape have known what the Dursleys did just from a medical exam? How much did he know? Surely not everything or he wouldn’t be offering to adopt her.

“It will be an adjustment, for both of us, but I believe we can make this work. Can you nod if you have an objection to the adoption?” Professor Snape asked.

Rachel considered it. It all came down to whether or not she thought Professor Snape was worse than the Dursleys. So far, all indications pointed to no, he wasn’t. But she had only known him for two weeks. That wasn’t much time to know what someone was really like.

Finally she shook her head no to indicate she didn’t have an objection. She didn’t want to return to the Dursleys, and she wasn’t much of a believer in the devil you knew being better than the devil you didn’t. She also got the feeling it wouldn’t matter too much if she did object. And anyway, how much worse could Professor Snape possibly be compared to the Dursleys?

“Alright,” Professor Snape said with a nod. “I’m glad you don’t object. I will let you know when the adoption has been finalized. If you don’t have any questions, you can go back to the common room.”

Rachel did have questions, but they were nebulous and she didn’t really have a way to ask them. She left, glancing at where the red headed boys seemed to be messing around with potions ingredients instead of cleaning cauldrons, and went back to her common room.

“Do you have more detentions?” Millie asked when Rachel joined her on one of the couches.   
  
Rachel shook her head.

“Oh, well that’s good at least,” Millie said.

Rachel nodded and sat watching as people moved around the common room and studied and chattered. She had no idea what her life was going to look like now.

*****

The next day Rachel sat down next to Millie at the study table near the windows in the Slytherin common room. The giant squid was visible today, with one of its tentacles stuck to one of the windows and its body blocking out the other. She had been alarmed the first time she saw the squid, but no one else had seemed particularly upset.

“Alright, first years,” Gemma said as she joined them. “Open up your Charms books to chapter seven and we’ll go over the information you need to write your essay on the levitation charm.”

Rachel opened her copy of  _ The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One _ and flipped to chapter seven. Her classmates did the same.

“Are we required to attend all of the study sessions?” Draco asked, his book still closed.

“Is your essay complete?” Gemma asked.

“Not yet,” Draco said.

“Then you can stay. In the future, if you don’t want to be part of the study session, bring your completed work and I’ll excuse you,” Gemma said. “Now while the history of the levitation charm is interesting, you don’t need to go into the details in your essay. Mention that it was invented in 1544 by warlock Jarleth Hobart and keep going.”

Rachel quickly took notes and noticed Millie copying her. Rachel didn’t mind. Millie didn’t seem really sure how to take notes in class and in study sessions.

“Would Professor Flitwick mind if we talked about the invention of the charm, considering it relates to one of the major drawbacks?” Theo asked, looking up from his own notes.

“In a longer essay you could make mention of it, but here you only have twelve to fourteen inches so it’s important to be concise. When a professor asks for twelve inches, they really only want twelve inches, not two feet,” Gemma explained. “As for mentioning the drawback of not being able to cast the levitation charm on human bodies, you could include that this drawback was discovered during the invention of the charm.”

Theo nodded and wrote that down.

Rachel frowned and wondered why that was. You could levitate animals with the levitation charm and weren’t humans just really complex animals?

“Now it’s also important to mention the etymology of the spell in your essay. If you’ll remember from the last time we studied, etymology is the origin and meaning of words. Does anyone know where any of the parts of the spell come from?” Gemma asked.

“Wing from Wingardium could be like a bird’s wing, for flying,” Blaise suggested.

“Good,” Gemma said. “And arduus is latin for tall or steep.”

They all quickly wrote that down.

“For Leviosa, levis means to make a weight light in latin,” Gemma continued once they’d finished their notes. “So the spell means to fly tall and make light.”

They spent the rest of the study session discussing the precise pronunciation and the wand movement of the spell.

“Now, if you’d like me to check over your essays before they’re due, bring them to me by tomorrow evening,” Gemma said as they packed up.

“When do we actually get to do the spell?” Daphne asked.

“In class, it will be another week or two while you go over the theory. In here, we’ll practice next time we have a Charms study session,” Gemma said.

Rachel frowned. They had yet to cast spells in Charms, but so far in Transfiguration she’d yet to get any of the non-verbal magic to work. She’d finished reading one book on non-verbal magic in the library, but it hadn’t really helped. She supposed she’d have to look for another book.

*****

The week passed quickly and on Saturday afternoon Rachel stood in front of the potions classroom door and tried to gather the courage to knock. Professor Snape had sent her a note saying that he was taking her to Saint Mungo’s today for an appointment with a Healer.

Rachel did not want to go to wherever Saint Mungo’s was and did not want to see a Healer. Wasn’t it bad enough that he’d taken her to see Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing?

On the other hand, she didn’t dare not show up. Professor Snape was her Head of House and he might actually adopt her. It was definitely a bad idea to run off and hide from him when he expected her to be somewhere. Trying to run from Uncle Vernon had always made things worse.

The door opened before Rachel could knock on it. Professor Snape was not in his usual black robes, instead he was wearing black trousers and a very dark blue buttoned shirt.   
  
He looked down at Rachel and frowned. “Do you have clothing other than your uniform?”

Rachel didn’t want to lie by shaking her head no, so she shrugged instead.

Professor Snape sighed. “Show me your wardrobe and trunk and we will see if you have something else to wear.”

Rachel hurried to follow him down the hallway to the entrance to the Slytherin common room. The door appeared for him without him saying the password. They went inside and the room slowly went quiet as students realized Professor Snape was there.

“Professor Snape, we didn’t realize you were planning to join us in the common room today,” Leander said as he hurried over to them.

“I’m only here briefly,” Professor Snape said as he looked over the room and then turned to Leander. “I will be away from the castle for a few hours today so the prefects will be in charge of the House.”

“Yes sir,” Leander said quickly. “Everything is under control.”

“See that it stays that way,” Professor Snape said, nodding once and then walking across the common room to the hallway where the girls dormitories were located.

Rachel followed and then knocked on the door of the first years girls dorms just in case anyone was changing inside. When there was no response she opened the door and stepped inside, Professor Snape following her.

“Rachel, that was fast,” Millie said, looking up from where she was reading on her bed. “Oh, Professor Snape!”

“Miss Bulstrode,” Professor Snape said. “We won’t be long.”

Rachel opened her wardrobe doors and stepped aside so Professor Snape could see inside. She had her uniforms and robes hanging up and her books and notes resting on the bottom of the wardrobe, right above the drawers.

“And the drawers?” Professor Snape asked.

She opened the drawers one at a time, showing him where she kept her assorted school things such as quills and parchment, and then the drawer where she kept the clothes she slept in and her underwear. She could feel herself starting to blush as she quickly closed that drawer when he nodded. She was aware that Millie was surreptitiously watching them.

“And your trunk?” he asked.

Rachel got down on her knees and dragged her trunk out from under her bed. She opened it and stood back to let Professor Snape look inside. The only things she’d left in there were the clothes she used to wear at the Dursleys.

Professor Snape reached down and examined the pieces of clothing one by one before setting them aside on the floor. “Do you want to keep any of these, provided you are supplied with suitable replacements? Do they have sentimental value to you?” he asked.

Rachel shook her head.

“Evanesco,” he said, pointing his wand at the small pile of clothing. It disappeared. “Put your trunk away and we’ll go.”

Rachel did as instructed and waved to Millie on her way back out of her dorm. A short walk later and they wound up in Professor Snape’s office.

“Have you ever used the floo before?” he asked, gesturing to the fireplace.

Rachel shook her head. She didn’t know what a floo was and given the way he was looking at the fireplace she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

“The floo network is a connection between fireplaces that allows for communication and travel. It’s quite simple to use. Simply throw the floo powder into the fireplace, say your destination, and step through while the flames are green,” Professor Snape explained.

Rachel stared at him, hoping that he would see the problem before he actually shoved her into the fireplace.

Severus stared back for a moment and then nodded. “Of course. In this instance I will say the destination and you will step through. When you arrive at Saint Mungo’s step aside and I will arrive shortly after. Do not wander off by yourself. Try not to move around too much while you’re going through and keep your eyes and mouth closed. Understood?”

It was a lot to keep in mind and she definitely had questions about what could go wrong if she moved around too much. And how much was too much, and what would happen if she opened her eyes or mouth? She nodded anyway, because what else could she do?

Severus took a jar off the top of the mantle and took a handful of sparkly green powder from within and threw it into the fireplace. “Saint Mungo’s,” he said firmly.

The flames turned green. Rachel took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stepped into the flames. She didn’t know what being on a rollercoaster felt like, having never been on one herself, but she had the feeling that this might be similar. She tucked her arms tightly against her chest as her left elbow banged against something and a moment later she came sprawling out onto the floor.

She opened her eyes and found herself in what looked like the entryway to a hospital, if that hospital was magical of course. She got to her feet and dusted the soot off her clothes while looking around. There were quite a few people here, some looking perfectly ordinary - for witches and wizards at least - and others less ordinary. There was a man with tiger paws for hands who kept growling, a woman with purple spots, and a young boy who had what looked like a mermaid’s tail instead of legs and feet being carried by his mother.

There was a whooshing sound and Rachel turned in time to see Professor Snape smoothly stepping out of the fireplace.

“Come along, your appointment is soon and I’m not sure where Healer Widgeton’s office is,” Professor Snape said, motioning for her to come with him.

They joined a short queue in front of a desk with a sign over it that read ‘ _ Inquires _ ’.

While they waited in line Rachel read the floor guide with fascinated horror. She never realized so many things could go wrong in the magical world, and yet she didn’t see anything about the normal illnesses or injuries that she’d expect to see in a muggle hospital. Maybe they went to a different hospital for those problems?

“We have an appointment with Healer Widgeton,” Professor Snape said to the witch behind the desk when they reached the front of the queue.

“Fourth floor, room eight. Wait in the chairs in the hallway outside his office and he’ll come collect you when he’s ready. Lift is to the right,” the witch said, sounding bored.

Rachel followed Professor Snape to the right and they waited for the lift. The lift came a few minutes later and they were joined inside by two witches in lime green robes consulting over a clipboard and a man with antlers growing out of his head.

On floor four they ducked past the man with antlers and followed the hallway down to the side until they found chairs in front of a door marked with the number eight.

After a few minutes of waiting the door opened and a man with white hair wearing lime green robes stepped out. “Professor Snape and Rachel Snow, I presume?”

“Healer Widgeton?” Professor Snape asked.

“That’s me. Come on in,” Healer Widgeton said, leading the way inside. “I got the file from Poppy Pomfrey. Beware, she’s a good Healer and Director Marsh is recruiting.”

“I don’t think Poppy would willingly leave Hogwarts,” Professor Snape said.

“Doesn’t stop Marsh from trying though,” Healer Widgeton said. “Now, Miss Snow, if you’ll hop up on the table here, we’ll take a quick look.”

Rachel used her hands to boost herself up onto the exam table and watched as Healer Widgeton drew his wand from his robes.

“You’re going to feel a little tickle, this is just a general diagnostic spell,” Healer Widgeton said, waving his wand in little swirls.

It did feel a little bit odd as he moved his wand from place to place and then turned to look at where a quill was taking notes.

“When’s the last time the prescription on the eyeglasses was checked?” Healer Widgeton asked.

Rachel hadn’t had her eyes examined since she first had gotten glasses her second year in school.

“Likely it’s been too long. I will make arrangements,” Professor Snape said.

“Good good,” Healer Widgeton said, mostly to himself. “I understand she’s regularly taking a Nutrient Restoration Potion?”

“Yes, once a week,” Professor Snape said.

“Alright, that seems in order. Let’s take a closer look at your throat. Now this one is going to feel like a light pressure inside your throat,” Healer Widgeton said, turning back to Rachel.

This spell felt even odder and Rachel couldn’t stop herself from swallowing.

“That’s right, swallow one more time if you would?” Healer Widgeton asked.

Rachel did as instructed and after another few moments the sensation went away.

“Alright then. Professor Snape, if we can step into my office and have a word?” Healer Widgeton asked as he put away his wand and picked up his clipboard.

“Stay here,” Professor Snape said to Rachel.

She watched as they went through a door at the back of the exam room and then shut the door behind them. She wished she knew what they were saying about her.

*****

Severus watched the Healer as he sat down, setting his wand carelessly on his desk along with his clipboard. Severus eased his hand away from his own wand now that he knew the Healer was likely harmless.

“Please, take a seat. I just wanted to check a few things with you and thought it was best we didn’t discuss Miss Snow so frankly in her presence,” Healer Widgeton said as he looked through his notes. “Now, I noticed that Poppy recommended an investigation and potential removal from her home. Is that still proceeding or would you like me to make a report to Family Services requesting their involvement?”

“We’ve already made arrangements with the Ministry so no report is necessary. We’re keeping this on a need-to-know basis given Miss Snow’s status,” Severus explained, wondering if he needed to obliviate the Healer after their meeting.

“Not a problem, I had figured Dumbledore would have his hands in things. As to her throat and the scar tissue. As far as I can tell the scar tissue probably does not prevent her from speaking physically, but after the trauma of the event she may have simply never started to speak again. Whatever potion she swallowed was quite corrosive and it’s clear from the scarring that she didn’t see a Healer afterwards. She would have been recovering from this for several months after she swallowed the potion,” Healer Widgeton said, pausing to make another note.

“Is there anything that can be done about the scar tissue?” Severus asked.

Healer Widgeton turned and pulled down a thick book from his crowded bookshelf. “Yes, we’ve got a potion that is ingested that works on healing scar tissue on internal injuries. You are a Potions Master, I believe?” he asked as he flipped through the pages.

“I am,” Severus said, unable to prevent himself from curiously gazing at the book. Medical potions, beyond the basics that he stocked for the hospital wing, were not a specialty of his.

“Then this should be no trouble for you to brew. She’ll need to take it four or five times, with a week in between each dose to give the potion a chance to fully work,” Healer Widgeton said. He set the book open on his desk, pulled out a blank piece of parchment and set a quill standing upright on the parchment. He pointed his wand at the quill, twirled it and said “Photostaticum.” The quill began writing on its own, copying the text from the open book.

“If the scar tissue is not preventing her from speaking, how do we get her to speak again?” Severus asked, hoping the Healer had suggestions other than giving Rachel more detention.

“Ah, yes, I have something for that too,” Healer Widgeton said. He opened a smaller book and began searching through it. When he reached the page he wanted he stopped and wrote out a few words on a small piece of parchment. “This is the name and address of a Mind Healer. She’s in London and she works with children and young adults. She’s studied both Mind Healing and muggle psychology, and she works with both wizards and muggles. That’s not a problem is it?”

“No,” Severus said, reading the piece of parchment, which contained the name Dr. Torey Halls and a London address. “You believe she can get Rachel to speak again?”

“If anyone can, it would be her. Write to her and make an appointment for yourself. You can ask her your questions and see if you think she’ll be of help,” Healer Widgeton said. “Ah, here we go. Any questions for me?”

Severus accepted the parchment with the potion instructions written on it and nodded. It made sense to him that they were using dittany and wormwood for slowly healing internal injuries over time, and brewing the potion in a glass cauldron would allow light to enhance the healing effects. “No questions, thank you,” he said as he stood up. He folded the pieces of parchment and placed them in his pocket.

Back in the exam room Severus found Rachel exactly where he’d left her; sitting on the exam table looking worried.

“It was nice to meet you, Miss Snow,” Healer Widgeton said, bowing slightly to her. “And you as well, Professor Snape.”

“Likewise,” Severus said, inclining his head slightly. “Let’s go.”

Rachel followed him from the exam room and they went back down the corridor to wait for the lift.

*****

“Have you ever apparated before?” Severus asked. They had exited out the front entrance of Saint Mungo’s and were now walking to a nearby alley.

Rachel shook her head.

“Very well. It is quite a discomforting experience, but it’s a convenient way to travel. You will hold onto my arm. It is very important that you do not let go. Do you understand?” Severus asked, looking down into Rachel’s eyes.

Rachel nodded.

They walked to the back of the alley and Severus held out his arm. “Take hold of my arm.”

Rachel looked uncertain and she lightly grasped Severus’ arm.

“Tightly,” Severus said, waiting until she had a tighter grip before apparating them to an alleyway near Oxford Street that had muggle repelling charms on it. The Ministry had set up many little areas throughout London to allow people to apparate in and out without being noticed by muggles.

Rachel was still clinging to his arm and looked pale.

“Take a few slow breaths, the feeling will pass in a moment,” Severus advised, hoping she wasn’t about to be sick.

Rachel did as instructed and let go of Severus’ arm a moment later.

“Alright?” Severus asked when she looked a little more steady on her feet.

Rachel nodded.

Severus led the way out of the alley and out onto Oxford Street. It was busy, given that it was a Saturday afternoon, and he looked around to orient himself before he saw the sign on the building that read John Lewis. Severus had occasionally traveled into downtown London on his summers off and done some shopping. Some things, like clothes that weren’t robes, were pricier and more difficult to find in traditional wizarding shops. He was familiar enough with shopping in muggle stores from his childhood, though he couldn’t have afforded to shop at a department store when he was younger.

Rachel followed him into the store and they stopped by the store directory. Girls’ clothing was on the second floor.

They rode the escalator up and walked toward the back of the store until they found the appropriate section. There were racks and racks of clothes and Severus was a little surprised by how many options were available.

Severus looked down at Rachel, who was still standing by his side, and she looked back up at him. “We’re here to buy you some clothing so that you have something to wear on weekends other than your uniform. You need to pick some things out.”

Rachel looked out at the clothes and then back at him.

He tried not to sigh and reminded himself that given the state Rachel’s clothes were in before he vanished them this was probably a new experience for her as well.

“Hello, can I help you with anything?” a shop attendant asked as she came up to them.

“Yes,” Severus said, relieved. “My student needs some new clothing. About three complete outfits, ideally with at least one pair of trousers and one skirt. She also needs undergarments and socks.”

“What is your budget?” the shop attendant asked.

“Around two hundred pounds,” Severus said, having exchanged money at Gringotts earlier in the day in anticipation of this trip.

“Okay, do you have any color or fabric preferences?” the shop attendant asked Rachel.

Rachel stared at her and then shook her head.

“That’s alright. Why don’t I show you a few things and you can decide what you want to try on?” the shop attendant asked.

“That would be fine,” Severus said when Rachel didn’t respond.

The shop attendant led them through the racks and started showing Rachel different styles of trousers. Rachel nodded occasionally but mostly shook her head. Severus stayed a few steps behind, watching and waiting.

*****

“How about this jumper?” the shop attendant asked, pulling out a pink jumper with white around the collar.

Rachel quickly shook her head.   
  
“Okay, how about something in green? This would go well with your complexion,” the attendant said, pulling out a different jumper in a forest green with a wavy pattern around the middle.

Rachel nodded at that one.

It was weird to be going clothes shopping. She’d never been with Aunt Petunia. At the start of each school year Aunt Petunia would buy her some clothes from the second hand shop and then she was stuck with whatever Aunt Petunia had seen fit to purchase.

It had been weird when Professor Snape had vanished her clothes as well, but he had apparently felt the same way about them as she did - they were too awful to be worn at Hogwarts.

“Alright, let’s get you a few t-shirts you can wear under these when the winter comes,” the attendant said, moving over to another rack. “You seem to like blues and greens. How about this purple?”

Rachel nodded again.

“Okay and a sky blue maybe?” the attendant asked.

Rachel nodded.

“How about you try these on and see what fits,” the shop attendant suggested, switching the clothing Rachel had nodded at to her other hand. “Fitting rooms are just back here.”

Rachel glanced back at Professor Snape, who had been watching them as though he was watching a group of students make potions in class. Professor Snape nodded and they followed the shop attendant to the back corner.

“Okay, I put everything in the fitting room. Bring things out to me that don’t fit you,” the attendant said.

Rachel went into the little room and decided that this was weird. Surely you could tell if something fit just by holding it up against you. She tried on the trousers and skirts first since there were fewer of them than shirts.

The jeans almost fit and were just a little bit too big, but she figured that was okay because she was still growing. One pair of green corduroys were also too big, but they felt like they’d fall down as soon as she tried to walk. The skirts both fit okay.

She dressed back into her uniform skirt and brought the green corduroys out to the shop attendant.

“Too big?” the attendant asked.

Rachel nodded.

“I’ll go get these in a size smaller. Try on the tops,” the attendant said.

Rachel did as she was instructed and found that most of the tops fit her, except one jumper that was too tight around her neck. She startled when the shop attendant held a new pair of corduroys over the door, but quickly recovered. After she was done trying things on she settled on the jeans, the corduroys, and a plaid skirt, as well as two jumpers and two t-shirts.

She emerged from the small room and brought the items over to Professor Snape for his approval.

“All of these fit?” Professor Snape asked.

Rachel nodded.

“Here is a package of underpants in her size and a package of socks,” the attendant said, placing the packages on top of the items Rachel was holding.

“Thank you, I think that’s everything we need,” Professor Snape said.

“Come with me and I’ll get you checked out,” the attendant said, leading them back through the racks of clothes.

Rachel felt a little bit weird as she watched Professor Snape pay. Was he doing this because he planned to adopt her or was there some other reason? Even if he was adopting her, he didn’t really need to buy her new clothes. Rachel had money now in her Gringotts account. Professor Snape probably didn’t know about that. Maybe she could send him a letter telling him she would repay him once she could go to Gringotts and get the money.

As they left the store Professor Snape discretely used his wand to shrink the bags and he placed them in his pocket. “We’re likely about to miss dinner. Why don’t we eat here in London, there’s a diner nearby,” he said.

Rachel nodded. She was hungry and Professor Snape seemed to want to eat too. It was just another weird thing on an already weird day in the weirdest month of her life.

*****

They walked three blocks west to a diner that had changed in name but not in appearance since the last time Severus had been there.

A server showed them to a booth. “Would you like anything to drink?” he asked once they were both seated.

“Tea,” Severus said, looking at Rachel. She nodded. “For both of us.”

“Here are your menus, I’ll be back shortly with your tea,” the server said.

Severus noticed Rachel covertly watching him. “Pick something you’d like from the menu and point it out to me, and I will order for us,” he said, looking pointedly at the menu in front of Rachel.

Rachel nodded and turned her attention to the menu.

Severus couldn’t help but wonder if eating out was as new of an experience for her as going clothes shopping had been. Strangely, watching the stop attendant with Rachel had given him some ideas on how to communicate better with her. He hadn’t needed to tell the shop attendant that Rachel didn’t talk and they had picked out clothing smoothly enough with Rachel shaking her head and nodding.

He was already planning to ask the other professors to stop taking points in class when Rachel wouldn’t answer a question or perform an incantation, at least until he spoke with the Mind Healer that Healer Widgeton had recommended. Maybe he could convince the professors to ask Rachel yes or no questions, or true or false, so that she could still participate in class.

“I’ll make an appointment with an optometrist soon. It appears you need an eye exam, and likely new glasses,” Severus said. “Do you have a hard time either seeing the board in class or reading your books?”

Rachel hesitated and then nodded.

“Seeing the board?” he asked. Based on the essay she’d handed in, he didn’t think she had difficulty seeing things that were close to her.

Rachel nodded again.

“Alright, we’ll get that taken care of,” Severus said. “Do you know what you want to eat?”

Rachel pushed her menu across the table and put her finger down on one of the entries. Waffles with bacon and eggs.

Severus saw that she again looked worried. “That’s fine,” he told her.

She gave him a small smile and took the menu back.

The server returned with a pot of tea and two cups. “Are you ready to order?”

“I’ll have the shepherd's pie and she’ll have the waffle breakfast,” Severus said, handing the server his menu. Rachel quickly handed hers over as well.

“Shepherd’s pie and waffle breakfast,” the server repeated as he made a note on his pad. “We’ll have that out as soon as possible.”

Severus found himself curious about Rachel. She was looking around the diner, seeming to drink in all of the different sights and sounds, though her eyes darted back to check on him every minute or so. To Severus it was an ordinary and slightly run-down diner in London, to Rachel it seemed to be fascinating.

Albus had said that the adoption process was moving forward and as time passed Severus was coming to terms with what he’d signed up for. Although he’d been Head of Slytherin House for many years now, this was different. In a few weeks’ time he would be solely responsible for Rachel, and yet he knew very little about her.

She seemed competent in class - both of the potions she’d brewed so far had been above average in quality for a first year student. Her essays were reasonable - again, for a first year student - and her handwriting was nearly legible. Other than the fact that her relatives had mistreated her, he knew almost nothing about her other than that she didn’t speak.

“Do you like Hogwarts so far?” Severus asked.

Rachel turned her attention away from where she’d been watching a family seated across the diner and looked back at Severus. After a moment she nodded.

“I’m glad. I understand that it is a lot to adjust to, coming from the muggle world,” Severus said. He paused, hesitating over what he was about to say. “My father was a muggle and my mother a witch, so I grew up with some magic in my life, but mostly in the muggle world. It wasn’t until I arrived at Hogwarts that I learned how integral magic is to the day-to-day life of a witch or a wizard.”

Rachel nodded again.

“Are you getting along well with your classmates?” Severus asked, uncertain how to carry on the conversation.

Another nod.

“You seem to be developing a friendship with Miss Bulstrode,” he said, remembering that they partnered together in his class.

Rachel nodded again, with a small smile this time.

“I’m glad. It’s important to have friends,” Severus said, trailing off. He didn’t want to go into an explanation that it was necessary to have friends to protect yourself in the halls of Hogwarts when you were a Slytherin. Either she already knew that or she would soon enough. “Has anyone been giving you trouble or bothering you?”

She shook her head no.

“Good. If someone does-” Severus paused, trying to think of a way that Rachel could tell them. “I’ll ask you that question from time to time, so that way you can tell me if someone is bothering you.”

Rachel nodded once and looked away.

They sat quietly until the server brought their food.

Severus noticed how happy Rachel seemed digging into the whipped cream on her waffles. It was good, he decided, that she could find happiness in such simple things.

*****

Once they reached the dungeons, after another terrifying go at apparition and a long walk from the gates that led onto the Hogwarts grounds, Professor Snape unshrank the shopping bags and gave them to her. “You’ll be taking another potion on Thursdays in addition to the Nutrient Restoration Potion. I will let you know when you have an optometrist appointment,” he said, coming to a stop outside a doorway.

Rachel nodded. She guessed that’s what Professor Snape and the Healer had discussed when they’d left her in the exam room. She didn’t know why they couldn’t have said that in front of her.

“Write your name on the tags of your clothes so they come back to you after the House Elves wash them. Let me know if there’s anything you need,” Professor Snape said.

Rachel nodded again even though she didn’t really have a way of doing that. She wished she could tell him thank you for the day out.

Professor Snape went into his office, though how both this door led to his office and the door in his classroom she couldn’t begin to understand given they were quite far away from each other.

She walked down the corridor for five minutes and came to a stop in front of the portrait of Curbin the Brave. She knocked on his frame and he opened his eyes and got to his feet.

“Well Miss Rachel, do you want to go into the common room?” Curbin asked.

Rachel nodded. Gemma had gone to Professor Snape to set this up as an alternate way for Rachel to access the common room after Rachel had gotten stuck in the hallway after a detention.

“Go ahead and touch your wand to my shield,” Curbin said, holding his silver shield out.

She pulled her wand from where she’d been keeping it in the long pocket in her skirt and placed the tip of her wand against the shield.   
  
“Ah yes, you’re still you, Miss Rachel. Go on inside,” Curbin said as he settled back onto his stool.

The door to the common room appeared and Rachel went inside. Someone was playing records on the gramophone, though Rachel didn’t recognize the band. A few people were dancing nearby. A pair of sixth years were kissing in a chair by the windows. Apparently someone had snuck in to get food from the kitchens, as one of the study tables was laden with all sorts of treats.

Rachel slipped through, not minding that no one seemed to notice her, and made it to her dorm room. Millie was inside, sitting on her bed and hunched over some parchment.

“You’re back!” Millie said, smiling brightly. “And, you went shopping?”

Rachel nodded and put her bags down on her own bed.

“What did you get?” Millie asked, coming over to see.

Rachel opened her bags and pulled out the clothes so that Millie could see. They laid them out over the bed and Millie looked at each piece.

“This is great. I can’t believe Professor Snape took you clothes shopping,” Millie said. “I mean, he kind of had to after he vanished your other clothes, but still, I’ve never heard of a professor taking anyone shopping before.”

Rachel shifted uncomfortably and went to fetch her quill from her bag. She had kind of guessed that professors didn’t usually take their students shopping. Maybe it was just because Professor Snape was planning to adopt her?

“At least you have clothes you can wear on the weekends now,” Millie said, undeterred by Rachel’s lack of attention. “Did he take you to Diagon Alley?”

Rachel shook her head and started writing her first initial and last name on the tags in the clothing. She’d have to use her potion’s knife to remove the price tags since she didn’t have a pair of scissors.

“Did he take you to a muggle store?” Millie asked, looking at the tags on one of the shirts.

Rachel nodded.

“I would have thought that Professor Snape wouldn’t know how to shop in muggle stores,” Millie said thoughtfully. “Most pure-bloods don’t use muggle establishments.”

Apparently the fact that Professor Snape had a muggle father wasn’t well known. It was kind of like he had told her a secret. That was a little bit weird too.

Rachel shrugged and began to hang up her new clothes in her wardrobe. It was nice to think that she wouldn’t be wearing her uniform every day, even though it wasn’t bad. She did prefer wearing trousers to skirts.

“Hermione talked to me before dinner. She wanted to know if we were going to study with her in the library tomorrow. I told her I’d ask you,” Millie said.

Rachel nodded in a way that she hoped conveyed that she would be spending some time in the library and that Millie was welcome to join her.

“Okay. We can see her at breakfast tomorrow and figure out what time. Tilly is doing a study session for Defense at ten, but otherwise we’re free tomorrow,” Millie said. “Do you want to play Gobstones? It’s not late yet.”

Rachel came to the abrupt realization that Millie had been lonely while she’d been away for most of the day. It was weird to think that someone actually liked her presence enough to miss her. She wasn’t a particularly big fan of Gobstones, but she nodded anyway, wanting to spend more time with Millie.

“Let’s play in here, it’s kind of wild out in the common room,” Millie said, going over to her nightstand to get her Gobstones set.

Rachel shut her wardrobe doors and went to join Millie on the floor to play the game.


	5. Rumors and Reputations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to my beta, EmeraldSnakes for her help with the article in this chapter!

Rachel and Millie arrived in the Great Hall a few minutes after breakfast started on Monday morning. They took a seat at the Slytherin table and Rachel reached for the plate of scrambled eggs.

“Why are people looking at you?” Millie asked, glancing around the room.

Rachel turned and looked. Sure enough there were people, mostly older students, turning to look at her. She craned her head and got a better look. Most of the people staring at her had newspapers. She got up and walked down the table to collect one of the school’s copies of the Daily Prophet and brought it back to where Millie was sitting.

She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary on the first side, but when she turned it over to see the rest of the first page she found what she was looking for.

_ Hero or Troll? What Happened to the Girl-Who-Lived? _

_ By Rita Skeeter. _

_ When the Girl-Who-Lived made her return to proper Wizarding Society it was unannounced and we only learned of it after she’d completed her trip to Diagon Alley for the milestone of shopping for her first year as a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Esteemed patrons of Diagon Alley all recalled how shy the child saviour had been, how she’d hardly said even a word to anybody. But who could have blamed her, honestly, for she wasn’t raised by us. Certainly not this witch. _

_ Let me refresh your memories for a moment, to the days after the war ended. To how numerous trials and investigations overshadowed the actions of one evening for just long enough that a child any one of us would have given everything for the privilege to raise had been placed outside our society. It happened, and despite multiple attempts to affect a change, the Ministry upheld the placement of the Saviour of the Wizarding World by Albus Dumbledore. _

_ Readers, I bring those days up because there is a troubling situation that has come to my attention. Sources inside Hogwarts have expanded on the observations of Diagon Alley and revealed that Rachel Snow is both a mute and a Squib. This witch wonders if Headmaster Dumbledore has known for the past ten years and used his influence to hide Rachel Snow from us. If so, how did he intend to continue this illusion? _

_ More importantly, what does it mean for the Girl-Who-Lived now that she can’t do magic? How does being a Squib affect her position at Hogwarts? See page 5 where I detail the hard facts answering these and other questions.  _

There was a picture accompanying the article, one of Rachel in the library with her head bent over a book. Every now and then she turned a page, though she didn’t look up at the camera.

Rachel hadn’t noticed anyone taking a picture of her.

“That’s awful,” Millie said, reading over Rachel’s shoulder. “You’re not a squib.”

Rachel didn’t even know what a squib was, but apparently it was a bad thing.

“I just saw the paper,” Hermione said, coming up next to them. “What a horrid thing to write. Of course you can do magic. You wouldn’t have been accepted at Hogwarts if you couldn’t do magic. Obviously this Skeeter woman doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“What are you doing here? This is the Slytherin table, in case you haven’t noticed,” Draco said, looking at Hermione with a slight sneer as he, Theo, and Blaise sat down across the table from Rachel and Millie.

“I’m here because I’m Rachel’s friend and I’m supporting her,” Hermione said stiffly.

That was strange, but nice. She’d only been at Hogwarts for a month and she already had two friends.

“What is going on? Why is everyone looking over here?” Theo asked, glancing around the Great Hall while Blaise reached across him for the platter of sausages.

“Look what they’re saying about Rachel,” Millie said, handing them the newspaper that Rachel had dropped on the table.

The boys leaned closer so they could all read it at the same time.

Draco whistled. “Well I wouldn’t want to be on this woman’s bad side. If this is what she writes when she doesn’t even know you, imagine if you were her enemy.”

“But Rachel isn’t a squib, she wouldn’t have gotten a Hogwarts letter if she was a squib,” Blaise said, stuffing the remainder of a sausage in his mouth.

“That’s what I said,” Millie said.

“What exactly is a squib?” Hermione asked.

Draco’s eyes narrowed as he considered Hermione, but he answered anyway. “A squib is a non-magical person born to magical parents. It’s not very common. But as Blaise said, Rachel isn’t a squib. If she was, she wouldn’t be able to brew potions and she is one of the better students in our class.”

Theo had opened the paper to read the rest of the article. “They think that Professor Dumbledore let her in and is trying to hide the fact that she’s a squib. It’s suggested that she should be in a long term care ward in Saint Mungo’s,” he said, folding up the newspaper again.

Rachel looked down at her plate. Professor Snape had taken her to Saint Mungo’s, maybe he thought the same thing?

“Should one of us write the paper and tell them that they’re wrong? They could print a retraction,” Hermione suggested.

“Well, they aren’t entirely wrong,” Draco said. “Rachel is mute and she can’t do most types of magic.”

“Being mute and being a squib are two very different things,” Millie said. “I don’t think we need to write a letter, Hermione. I think Professor Dumbledore will have to make a statement saying Rachel’s not a squib. People will be demanding answers after reading this.”

“If they already think Professor Dumbledore was hiding the fact that she’s supposedly a squib, then wouldn’t they assume he was lying if he gave a statement?” Theo asked, grabbing the last of the toast before Blaise could reach for it.

“Probably, but my guess is they’ll have someone from the Ministry make the statement, once they can prove that Rachel isn’t a squib,” Draco said. “The Ministry wouldn’t want to cause a panic.”

Rachel frowned. Why would people panic if she was a squib? What was with all of this Girl-Who-Lived stuff? Was it just because her parents had died and she hadn’t? She wished she could ask someone, but everyone seemed to assume that she already knew.

“Rachel, are you okay?” Gemma asked, hurrying over to them.

Rachel nodded. She was okay enough, even though she was really uncomfortable with having all these people watching her.

“I haven’t found Professor Snape yet, but I’ll tell him about this as soon as I see him,” Gemma said, looking worried.

“What is Professor Snape going to do about it?” Hermione asked.

Gemma looked at Hermione, clearly confused why a Gryffindor was there. “He’s our Head of House and one of his students was just slandered in the Daily Prophet. He’ll know what to do.”

“It’s not slander if it’s true,” Draco said as he got to his feet. “I’m just saying it is partially true.”

“It’s slander to call someone a squib when they aren’t,” Gemma said, giving Draco a disapproving frown. “It’s almost time for classes to start, finish your breakfasts and get going.”

Rachel pushed her plate away and got to her feet. She didn’t really feel like eating. Millie got up with her.

“What’s your first class today? I’ll walk with you,” Hermione said, joining them as they left the Great Hall.

“Defense,” Millie said, leading them around a group of older students who were clustered in the doorway.

“I have History of Magic, so that’s close by,” Hermione said. “Maybe your prefect is right and Professor Snape can do something about this.”

“Maybe,” Millie said, sounding doubtful.

Rachel didn’t know if Professor Snape could do something about the newspaper article, but maybe he could tell the other students to stop staring at her.

*****

Rachel was in the middle of weeding and tending a bed of dittany with Millie when a piece of parchment folded up like a bird flew through a nearby open window in the greenhouse. The bird went and hovered in front of Professor Sprout, who was showing two of the Ravenclaw boys how to replant some of the dittany they had accidentally pulled out while weeding.

Professor Sprout caught the note and unfolded it. “Miss Snow, you’re wanted in the Headmaster’s office,” she called.

Rachel brushed the dirt off her hands and exchanged a glance with Millie. The Headmaster’s office had not been on the list of places the Slytherin prefects had shown them.

“Go on then,” Professor Sprout said. “Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you.”

“Ma’am, I don’t think any of us know where the Headmaster’s office is,” one of the Ravenclaw girls said.

“Second floor corridor, right hand side. Go all the way to the end and wait in front of the statue of the gargoyle,” Professor Sprout said, nodding once at the girl who had spoken.

Rachel left the greenhouse and walked back to the school. The hallways were empty, which was a nice change after being stared at all day. It didn’t take her long to find the gargoyle statue that Professor Sprout had spoken of, and Rachel stared at it. She supposed that the Headmaster had some magical way of knowing that someone was waiting for him.

She was assuming this was about the newspaper article and that the Headmaster would have to somehow prove to someone that he wasn’t lying and she wasn’t a squib.

After a few minutes, the gargoyle stepped aside, revealing a staircase. As soon as she stepped up, the stairs began to move upward, somewhat like a spiral escalator. A short time later it deposited her at what seemed like the top of a tower, with a wooden doorway directly across from the stairs.

Rachel raised her hand to knock on the door, but it opened by itself before she could actually knock.

“Miss Snow, please come in,” Professor Dumbledore called.

She stepped inside, taking a quick look around. There were three men in the room: Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and a portly man she didn’t recognize. The room itself was filled with various cabinets, many with magical instruments of some sort on display. There was a fireplace at the back of the room, and a desk with a large chair behind it.

“Miss Snow, this is the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge,” Professor Dumbledore said, gesturing to the third man.

Rachel bowed her head respectfully.

The Minister regarded her with caution and then looked back to Professor Dumbledore. “She doesn’t speak?”

“We have already told you this much is true, Minister,” Professor Snape said. “We are working on the situation and are hopeful that Miss Snow will be able to speak soon.”

“And how are you working on the situation?” the Minister asked. “She can’t speak and she can’t do magic. How is Hogwarts an appropriate environment for her?”

“I have received reports from all of my professors here at Hogwarts and they indicate that Rachel is a good student,” Professor Dumbledore says.

“She is not a squib, Minister. As you know, the Hogwarts rolls do not list squibs, and the Headmaster showed you her name written there. She performs well in all of her classes with the exception of Charms and Transfiguration,” Professor Snape said. “We have consulted with multiple Healers and she will be evaluated by a Mind Healer.”

A Mind Healer? Did that mean Professor Snape was going to be taking her to another doctor? Sooner or later they were going to have to accept that she couldn’t speak. Surely the Healers would tell them that?

“And what of this adoption request?” the Minister asked, seeming to ignore their answers to his previous questions. “First you placed her with muggles and now you want Severus Snape to adopt the Girl-Who-Lived?”

“Unfortunately I was not able to determine that her muggle relatives would provide an unsuitable environment for her when I first placed her there, and my good friend, Mrs Arabella Figg, checked in on her from time to time but did not realize the extent of the situation,” Professor Dumbledore explained.

Wait - Mrs Figg was a witch too? Rachel guessed that explained all of the cats.

“When Professor Snape realized that Miss Snow’s placement was unacceptable, he let me know and volunteered to adopt her. Given both his close relationship with Miss Snow’s mother and his ability to protect Miss Snow, I believe it is an ideal placement,” Professor Dumbledore continued.

“Even considering his past?” the Minister asked.

“My past makes me the best qualified wizard for the job,” Professor Snape said smoothly. “I have insider knowledge and am well suited to providing protection to Miss Snow. Additionally, should the issue of her adoption become public before the adoption is complete, it would allow others with connections to make claims that they should be allowed to adopt Miss Snow. I assure you we do not want that to happen.”

The Minister nodded. “Is there no one else, Albus?”

“Minister, there is no one that I trust more than Severus Snape. I would trust him with my life, and with Miss Snow’s,” the Headmaster said, his gaze unwavering.

“And you, Miss Snow. Do you want Professor Snape to adopt you?” the Minister asked.

Rachel nodded, grateful that Professor Snape had prepared her for this. While she wasn’t sure she wanted to be adopted by Professor Snape, she was willing to accept it if it meant she didn’t have to go back to the Dursleys.

“Very well then, I will use my influence to discreetly expedite the adoption. I expect updates, Albus, on when she can speak and use magic,” the Minister said.

“You will have them, Minister. And please feel free to quote me when you speak with the Daily Prophet, assuring them that Rachel is not a squib,” Professor Dumbledore said. “Miss Snow, you are free to leave, though as you only have a few minutes of class left, do not worry about going back out to the greenhouses.”

Rachel nodded, recognizing a dismissal when she heard one.

She left, glad that this gave her a little time to get to the library before people got out of class and started staring at her again.

*****

Severus frowned over his copy of the Daily Prophet as he waited for Lucius Malfoy to call on him through the floo. Lucius was already late, which was typical for him. Lucius liked to keep people waiting as a way of proving his superiority - he wouldn’t wait for anyone, but virtually everyone but the Minister waited on him.

The Daily Prophet had printed a follow-up article to the one they had printed on Monday, this time with the Minister assuring people he had looked into the situation and that the Girl-Who-Lived was not a squib, but the damage had already been done. He had heard numerous students discussing the possibility that Rachel couldn’t actually do magic at all, conversations that were undoubtedly echoed in the wider wizarding world.

Severus wanted to know who was responsible for leaking the information to the press, hence his letter to Lucius, asking if they could meet and discuss Draco’s progress thus far. If anyone would know, other than the reporter at the Daily Prophet, it would be Lucius.

“Severus?” Lucius’ voice called.

“Yes, Lucius. Please come through,” Severus called, leaving the Daily Prophet out on his desk so that he had a segue to the conversation if Lucius didn’t provide it.

Lucius smoothly stepped through into Severus’ office, looking as smug and confident as ever. “Severus,” he said, inclining his head very slightly.

“Lucius, it’s good to see you. Please have a seat,” Severus said, motioning to the chair he had transfigured for the occasion. Lucius was obviously too good to sit in a simple student chair. “Would you like something to drink?”

“The scotch you’ve decanted will be fine,” Lucius said, nodding at the shelf where Severus had prepared drinks for the occasion.

Severus served himself and Lucius a glass of scotch before sitting back down, across from Lucius instead of behind his desk.

“I trust Draco is behaving himself?” Lucius asked.

In Severus’ opinion, Draco was a bit of a spoiled brat, but he hadn’t been caught doing anything just yet and Severus favored him in class as he was expected to. “He is. High marks in his classes and the potions he brews are very good. I expect he’ll have a bright future,” Severus said. This was true, if he could save Draco from following his father’s path.

“Good,” Lucius said, swirling his drink and then taking a sip. “He’s playing nicely with his classmates?”

Severus nodded. “I often see him with Crabbe and Goyle’s boys as well as with Parkinson’s daughter.”

“That is acceptable, though I hope that he is making an effort to seek connections with students in other years in the House,” Lucius said.

“He’s been making connections with the prefects and the other upper year students who are leading the study sessions. I’m sure as the year goes by he will have the opportunity to interact with more of the House,” Severus said, resisting the urge to remind Lucius that Draco had only been at school for a month.

“Do you think he’s likely to be a prefect?” Lucius asked.

Severus did not roll his eyes, but it was a close thing. “Assuming he keeps his marks up and continues to be social within the House, I think he will likely be a prefect.”

“Very good. It’s important for such things to remain in the families who are worthy,” Lucius said with a satisfied nod. “I heard that the Minister paid you a visit recently.”

That was the segue Severus had been waiting for. “Yes, he stopped by to ask Albus and myself about that article in the Daily Prophet. I assume you saw it?”

“I did indeed, it was quite the scandal in some circles. The Minister seemed to believe your and Dumbledore’s assurances that the Girl-Who-Lived is not a squib,” Lucius said, subtly digging for more information.

Severus knew how this game was played - if he wanted something from Lucius, he had to give more than he got. “She is not a squib. She is adequate at brewing potions. If she were a squib, the ingredients in the potions she brewed would not have reacted.”

“And yet she doesn’t speak or cast magic?” Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” Severus admitted. “Albus is searching for a Mind Healer that can deal with the problem.”

The edge of Lucius’ mouth tipped up in a slight smirk. “Back in our day, if a student refused to speak or cast spells they would have simply caned them until they started speaking.”

Severus nodded with a neutral expression. Thank Merlin they weren’t back before Albus became Headmaster. While Severus had never been caned, he had been beaten by his father on multiple occasions. He suspected that Lucius was raised with the same stern philosophy that children should be physically punished, and that Lucius raised Draco in much the same manner. While Severus could rescue Rachel from her muggle relatives, there wasn’t much he could do for Draco unless Draco made a complaint. Lucius would have magically healed any of Draco’s wounds and there would be no evidence of most injuries for a medical history spell to pick up.

“I find it curious that the matter only now made it to the press,” Severus said, leading Lucius in the direction he wanted to go. “I would have expected it to be public the first week of school.”

“I expect it took some time for students to remember they were supposed to write home while they are at school,” Lucius said. “And while news about the Girl-Who-Lived is clearly of interest to any adults who follow current events, sometimes young people are forgetful.”

In other words, Draco hadn’t told Lucius about Rachel, and Lucius had been surprised by the article in the Daily Prophet. “Typically the other students do not pay Miss Snow much attention, as she will not converse with them,” Severus explained.

“I did hear something interesting about Miss Snow,” Lucius said, his gaze giving away how invested he was in the conversation.

“Oh?” Severus asked.

“It appears Dumbledore has petitioned to remove her from her muggle relatives and has suggested you as her new guardian,” Lucius said, pausing for another sip of his drink. “I wasn’t aware that Dumbledore supported removing magical children from their muggle relation’s care.”

“In general he doesn’t, but special circumstances required that Miss Snow continued to reside here instead of returning to her relatives,” Severus said, hoping that the Ministry would move fast enough to block any other petitions to adopt Rachel. “Since I am her Head of House, Albus requested that I provide guardianship for her. It seemed like a prudent suggestion.”

Lucius nodded, apparently catching all of the subtext that Severus was trying to include in his words. “I see. I would guess that Maxilium Turner will speak to the Daily Prophet once that news becomes public.”

Severus nodded. “It seems likely.” The message had been sent and received; Lucius had gotten the information he wanted, so he had given Severus what he wanted in return. Jacob Turner, a third year, must have been the one to write to his father with information about Rachel, and Maxilium Turner had then gone to the Daily Prophet. Likely he’d bargained for a tidy sum for his information.

“I do hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, Severus,” Lucius said. “Fatherhood is a challenging job under ordinary conditions. Given the girl’s upbringing, you will have your hands full.”

Severus decided to play stupid. “I’m sure it won’t be any more difficult than being her Head of House.”

Lucius smirked again. “You’ll see, it is nothing alike.”

*****

As Madam Hooch led the poor Gryffindor boy who’d fallen off his broom away, Rachel saw something shiny on the ground where he had fallen. Curious, she picked it up and looked at it. It was about the size of a large marble and was filled with white smoke.

“Oh, that’s Neville’s Remembrall. I’m glad you found it,” Hermione said, joining where Rachel and Millie were standing.

Rachel handed it over to Hermione, trusting that she would give it back to the Gryffindor boy. The smoke in the ball turned red once Hermione was holding it.

“What did you forget?” Millie asked.

“I don’t know, I don’t usually forget things,” Hermione said, frowning as she stared at the ball. “This thing is useless. How does it help to know you’ve forgotten something if it doesn’t tell you what you’ve forgotten? All it does is make you worry.”

“So, who wants to race down to the Whomping Willow and back?” Draco called, attracting everyone’s attention. “How about you, Weasel?”

A red-headed Gryffindor boy flushed and stepped forward clutching a broom. “You’re on, Malfoy!”

“Ron, don’t! You’ll get expelled,” Hermione said, looking alarmed.

“Let’s go, before Madam Hooch gets back,” Draco said, pushing himself up into the air.

Ron mounted his broom and joined Draco in the air. “On the count of three. One, two, three!”

Draco took off as Ron was saying three and they both flew away toward a large tree across the grounds.

“Idiots,” Hermione said, folding her arms. “I hope Neville is okay.”

“Madam Pomfrey will fix him right up. Mending broken bones is easy,” Millie said. “I fell out of a tree when I was six, and my mom pulled my arm straight and with a tap of her wand it was better.”

When Rachel had broken her arm when she was six, she had been in a cast for two months. She’d broken the same arm again three years later. Both times had been Dudley’s fault.

“There are definitely advantages to magic,” Hermione said thoughtfully. “Do most witches and wizards know that kind of magic?”

“No, my mom is a Healer,” Millie said. “Lots of things can go wrong with healing magic, so apart from basic first aid spells, it’s really better to let a professional Healer handle things if you can.”

Draco and Ron had made it down to the tree and were on the way back. Draco had a good lead, which made sense because Draco had been telling them last night about how he’d had professional flying lessons.

Rachel looked back at the castle, wondering if they were going to make it back before Madam Hooch came back from the hospital wing.

Hermione noticed her looking. “They really shouldn’t be racing. It’s reckless.”

“They’re boys,” Millie said, as though that was a complete answer.

Draco touched down and dismounted his broom. “And that is how you win a broom race.”

Crabbe and Goyle laughed and Crabbe slapped Draco on the shoulder.

Ron landed about thirty seconds later. He ignored Draco and went to go stand with the other Gryffindor boys.

Shortly after Madam Hooch came back and got them all lined up again.

“Now, let’s try that again. Remember to gently kick off the ground. You only want to go a few feet up in the air and then come straight back down,” Madam Hooch said. “On my whistle.”

She blew her whistle and Rachel pushed up with her feet and held on tightly to her broom. It was definitely a strange feeling, hovering in the air with only a broom between her and the ground. Strange, but amazing.

“Come back down now,” Madam Hooch called.

Reluctantly Rachel leaned forward and brought the broom back down. Next to her, Millie gave a relieved sigh.

“Very good, let’s do it again. Straight up, and straight back down,” Madam Hooch said and then blew her whistle.

They went up and down a few times more times before Madam Hooch allowed them to start flying about.

Rachel went up a little higher and started feeling out how to turn and how to go faster. She noticed that Millie and Hermione were both only a few feet off the ground and were very slowly moving along.

“Rachel, want to go down to the Whomping Willow and back?” Draco called, flying up beside her.

She glanced over their class - they were more spread out now and Madam Hooch was occupied with two of the Gryffindor girls. She looked at Draco and nodded. She didn’t really want to race, but she wanted to go faster.

“Okay, on three. One, two, three,” Draco said.

They both went flying straight toward the Whomping Willow, Draco scooting away to give her a little more space.

This was amazing. The wind was on her face and going through her hair and she was soaring. This was the first time magic had felt easy. This was the first time magic had felt right.

She fell a little behind as they turned at the Whomping Willow but was able to get a little more speed out of her broom on the way back and pull almost even with Draco.

“I said no racing!” Madam Hooch called at them once they were back by the rest of the class.

“We weren’t racing, we were just flying in pairs like you told us to,” Draco said innocently. “We went further away so we didn’t hit anyone.”

Fortunately Madam Hooch was immediately distracted by Crabbe coming down for a hard landing.

Draco grinned at Rachel, and unable to stop herself, Rachel grinned back.

*****

Severus sat down in the waiting room for Dr. Torey Halls, dressed in muggle apparel. He had apparated to an alleyway on the outskirts of Western London and walked the short distance to her office. The inquiry he had sent by owl earlier in the week had been answered with a suggestion for an appointment to discuss the matter in more detail. Dr. Halls had indicated that she preferred to first meet with the child’s parents to discuss whether she was a good fit for the child’s situation and to put together treatment goals.

The clock in the room indicated it was a minute past five o’clock when an interior door opened and a woman dressed in a t-shirt and jeans stepped out. “Professor Snape?” she asked.

Severus stood up. “Dr. Halls, I presume?”

“You can just call me Torey,” she said, offering her hand for him to shake. Her accent sounded distinctly American.

“Severus,” he said in return.

“Come on in,” Torey said, walking back through the door.

Severus followed her into her office and was somewhat surprised to find that the walls had children’s artwork posted on them and there were multiple shelves of games and children’s books.

“Take a seat,” Torey said, settling into a chair near her desk.

He sat down on the couch, avoiding a purple stain, and looked back to where Torey was gathering a clipboard and pen from her desk.

“In your letter, you indicated you are seeking treatment for one of your students,” Torey said, turning to face Severus. “Have her parents or guardians requested that you seek treatment for her in their stead?”

“The situation is a little bit complicated,” Severus said. “I am in the process of adopting Rachel.”

“She is currently being fostered with you?” Torey asked.

“No. She’s my student, boarding at Hogwarts,” Severus paused and then pulled out his wand and cast a privacy charm.

“I do have privacy charms set up on my office,” Torey said. “I take confidentiality and privacy concerns very seriously.”

“I’m glad. Given Rachel’s status as the Girl-Who-Lived it is very important that what is said about her remains confidential and out of the press,” Severus said.

“I did see the articles in the Daily Prophet this week. I imagine that has had an impact on Rachel,” Torey said.

Severus nodded, though he wasn’t certain how it had impacted Rachel. As the week had gone on the gossip in the school had moved on to other matters, so by the time Rachel was in his class today, Severus didn’t see anything out of the ordinary about her.

“Back to the situation with her guardianship. Who currently has custody over her?” Torey asked.

“Legally, her muggle relatives, however due to circumstances they will no longer be Rachel’s guardians once the adoption is complete,” Severus explained.

“And what circumstances would those be?” Torey asked, seeming unfazed.

Severus hesitated and decided that if Torey was going to treat Rachel, she needed to know. If they decided that Torey couldn’t help, he could obliviate her. “She was being abused. One of my prefects informed me of her suspicions and I had the Healer at our school perform a medical history exam. If she winds up in treatment with you I will have Madam Pomfrey forward you her records.”

“How long have you known Rachel?” Torey asked, tapping her pen on her clipboard.

“A month,” Severus explained, watching Torey’s eyebrows briefly raise. “I was close friends with Rachel’s mother, but I would not have been welcomed at her muggle relatives house. I hadn’t seen Rachel since she was a baby, until she was sorted into my House at the start of the month.”   
  
“And this relationship with her mother is why you decided to adopt Rachel?”

“Part of the reason. I believe it’s what her mother would have wanted, under the circumstances. And, given who Rachel is, she may be in danger from members of the Dark Lord’s former allies. I am in the best position to protect her,” Severus said, all too aware that he was being scrutinized.

“What does Rachel think about you adopting her?”

“She agreed, by nodding, but I don’t really know what she thinks as she won’t speak or write down answers to questions. That would be the problem,” Severus said.

Torey sat back in her chair and considered him. “It’s important that you work with Rachel to ensure that this adoption isn’t a trauma for her. Even if she can’t yet speak to you, you can speak to her and explain what is happening in an approachable way. Do you know if Rachel has spoken at all while she’s been at school?”

“Not as far as I’m aware. She doesn’t speak to me, her other teachers, or to her classmates,” Severus said.

“And prior to attending Hogwarts, do you know if she spoke at the primary school she went to, or at home with her relatives?” Torey asked.

“I do not know,” Severus said.

Torey made a note on her clipboard. “Do you know the address of her relatives, so I can request records from her primary school?”

“Not offhand, but I can get it,” Severus said. Her file at Hogwarts would have the address of her guardians.

“How much do you know about selective mutism?” Torey asked.

“I haven’t heard of it before now,” Severus admitted.

Torey nodded. “That’s not surprising, most people don’t unless one of their children or students have it. It’s an anxiety disorder that is closely related to social anxiety. Children, and sometimes adolescents and adults, who have it are often very anxious around people and they tend to worry a lot in general. They also tend to be very shy.”

“How do we get her to speak?” Severus asked.

“It’s a process of building an environment where she is comfortable and has less anxiety. If you decide that you’d like me to work with her, treatment will involve talking with her and building a rapport to help her speak here. Then we would generalize those skills so that she could speak with you. After that, we would work so that she could speak with classmates and other teachers,” Torey explained. “It’s important that she isn’t being punished for not speaking. That only increases the level of anxiety she’s feeling and decreases the likelihood she will speak.”

“I’ve already asked the other teachers to stop taking points and to ask her yes and no questions in class,” Severus said, glad that he’d brought that up at the last staff meeting. “How long will this treatment take?”

“Every child is different,” Torey said. “Part of it depends on how long she has been mute and to what extent. If this is something that has just begun when she started at Hogwarts, we have a better chance of treating this quickly. If she has been mute for years and in all settings, it will likely take longer.”

Severus nodded. That made sense to him. “Does treatment typically work?”

“In most cases, yes. Selective mutism was my field of specialty and I’ve worked with many children who have had it. Following treatment about ninety percent of them began to speak at school,” Torey said.

“And you would be willing to treat Rachel? She would have to either see you on the weekends or after seven at night on weekdays,” Severus said.

“I do work on Saturdays,” Torey said. “And I can start treating Rachel if that’s what you decide you’d like to do, once you’re her legal guardian. I can’t accept her as a patient without her legal guardian’s permission.”

“That should be resolved soon,” Severus said, hoping that was true. “I will contact you once I receive her adoption paperwork from the Ministry.”

Torey got to her feet and Severus took his cue to stand up.

“Thank you for coming in today, I look forward to working with you and Rachel,” Torey said.

Severus nodded again. “Thank you.”


	6. Bullies

Rachel left the library alone. Millie had already returned to the common room to drop her bag off before dinner and Hermione was still in the library, having said she wanted to look up one more thing. Rachel was lost in thought, having just read another few chapters in a book about non-verbal magic. It seemed fairly hopeless - apparently most students didn’t start learning non-verbal magic until their sixth year, but she felt like she didn’t have any other choice. She had to be able to do magic if she wanted to stay at Hogwarts.

A sharp pain in her arm drew her from her thoughts about non-verbal magic. Rachel held her hand to her forearm and turned toward the sound of laughter. She saw someone lean out from behind a corner and flick their wand, and then felt another sharp stinging sensation, this time on her calf. They laughed again.

Rachel took off running. Years of running from Dudley had taught her how to get away from bullies.

She darted around a corner, aware from the sound of footsteps that she was being followed. She felt several more sharp stings, mostly on her arms and legs, but a few hit her on the shoulders where her bag wasn’t protecting her. It hurt, but it wasn’t terrible. She’d had plenty worse.

“Get her!” a boy called.

Rachel chanced a glance back. Two boys were following her, both upper years with Gryffindor ties. She raced around another corner, hopelessly lost now.

She ran for another minute or two before coming to a dead end. Her stomach clenched, thinking of the beatings that Dudley and his gang had given her when they caught her.

There was a single door and Rachel tugged on it hard. It was locked.

‘Alohamora,’ she thought desperately as she pulled on the handle. Nothing happened.

The Gryffindor boys would catch up to her at any moment now.

She pulled on the handle again. Open!

Her hands felt strangely warm for a moment and the latch on the door released, allowing her to pull it open. Rachel ducked inside, pulling the door closed behind her. Had she just done magic? Without saying the words or using her wand?

She didn’t know the spell to relock the door, so she stood in the dark with her back against the door and listened carefully. Her hiding place was obvious, but it was possible they’d decide to give up the chase.

As she listened, and as her eyes adjusted to the near dark of the room, she noticed the sound of breathing. She closed her eyes to help them adjust faster and when she opened them again she put her hand over her mouth as she internally screamed.

There was a ginormous three-headed dog laying in the center of the room, fast asleep.

Rachel considered whether or not she should just take her chances with the Gryffindor boys. She couldn’t hear anything on the other side of the door, but they might just be waiting to ambush her when she came out. She decided that as soon as she saw the dog move, or heard the sound of its breathing change, she would leave.

She gently touched her arms where they had been hit by the spells the boys were casting. They didn’t hurt as much as when she’d first been hit by the spells, but they were definitely tender. She didn’t feel any blood when she checked under her sleeves so she decided she was probably okay.

The dog shifted slightly in its sleep.

Rachel froze, watching it carefully, and for the first time noticed something under its giant paws. It looked like a trapdoor. The dog was guarding something. She thought quickly and realized that this must be the third floor corridor that Professor Dumbledore had warned them away from at the start of the term. And, it stood to reason, that the dog was guarding whatever was in the small package Hagrid had picked up from Gringotts, the one that someone had tried to steal later that same day.

She felt that having a giant three-headed dog was a reasonable protection for whatever was in the package. She couldn’t imagine getting by it to get to the trapdoor even with magic. Poor dog though, trapped inside all of the time. She hoped that someone came to give it food and maybe give it a magic way to exercise and play.

The dog snorted in its sleep and Rachel decided it was time to go. The boys chasing her had probably gotten bored of waiting by now. It usually only took Rachel five minutes of hiding before Dudley would give up and go search for something else to do.

She carefully slipped out of the room and shut the door behind her. Hopefully whoever came there to see the dog wouldn’t notice that it was already unlocked.

The hallways were empty, everyone having gone down for dinner, and Rachel raced through the halls and down the staircases and arrived at the Great Hall just in time to get some food before dinner finished.

*****

After dinner, Defense first year study group with Tilly, and spending some time afterward writing the assigned Defense essay about ghosts and spirits, Rachel went back to her dorm to get ready for bed. Millie joined her, both of them collecting their toiletries and going back to the bathroom to brush their teeth.

Back in their dorm, Rachel got the clothes she usually slept in out of her drawer. She used to wear the t-shirt and shorts for when she was gardening, but they were comfortable enough to sleep in.

Pansy and Daphne were sitting on Daphne’s bed, reading the latest issue of Witch Weekly.

Rachel changed her clothes and was just hanging up her robes when she heard Millie cry out.

“Rachel, what happened to you?”

Rachel turned, alarmed, and Millie came rushing over to her.

“Your arms, and on your legs too,” Millie said, taking hold of Rachel’s arm and holding it up.

The spells the Gryffindor boys had cast at her had left three-to-four inch red welts on her skin.

“Did someone attack you?” Daphne asked, coming over to get a better look.

Rachel nodded.

“Who?” Pansy asked.

Rachel shrugged. Even if she could talk, she didn’t know the names of the boys who’d attacked her.

“Come on, we’re going to see Gemma,” Millie said, keeping hold of Rachel’s wrist and pulling her in the direction of the door.

Rachel didn’t particularly want to go see Gemma, since Gemma would probably say that Rachel should go to Madam Pomfrey for some healing salve, but she went along with Millie anyway. Millie had seemed really upset.

They went back out into the common room, which was mostly upper years now, and Rachel noticed people watching them as they walked toward the couches by the fireplace.

Leander nudged Gemma to get her attention and Gemma turned away from the conversation she’d been having with Miranda, a seventh year prefect. “Did you need something?” Gemma asked.

“Someone hurt Rachel,” Millie said, stepping closer. “Look at her arms and the back of her legs.”

Gemma got up and looked carefully at one of Rachel’s arms and then the other. “Turn around so I can see your legs,” Gemma said.

Rachel turned obediently and realized that all the gathered prefects were watching.

“Looks like she was hit by a bunch of stinging hexes,” Miranda said, looking at Rachel’s arm. “Gotta be someone from the upper years, that’s not taught until fifth year Defense.

“Alright,” Gemma said. “Millie, thank you for bringing Rachel to me. Why don’t you go back to your dorm. Rachel, let’s go see Professor Snape.”

Rachel didn’t want to do that either. Professor Snape was probably resting or asleep. She reluctantly followed Gemma out of the common room, the stone floor freezing against her bare feet, and they walked down the corridor that led to Professor Snape’s office.

Gemma knocked on Professor Snape’s office door and then they waited.

*****

Severus was grading fifth year essays on Strengthening Solutions when he heard a knock on his office door. It was after curfew, which meant that it was likely one of his prefects. He set aside the essay he’d been grading - a particularly awful one that deserved a troll grade - and walked through the wall that led into his office.

He opened the door and found Gemma Farley standing with Rachel. Rachel was seriously underdressed for the occasion.

“Rachel’s been hurt. Someone has used a stinging hex on her a bunch of times,” Gemma said before Severus could speak.

“Come in,” he said, opening his office door wider. He waved his wand to increase the lighting from the fireplace and the lamps.

“We think it was an upper year student, probably sixth or seventh year, since the stinging hex isn’t taught until later in the fifth year,” Gemma continued, closing the door behind herself. “It probably happened some time before dinner, since she’s been in the common room ever since.”

“Thank you, Miss Farley,” Severus said. “Miss Snow, come stand by the fireplace so I can see better.”

Rachel did as she was instructed and held her arms out so that Severus could see the welts.

“On the back of her legs too,” Gemma said.

Severus gritted his teeth and looked at the back of Rachel’s legs. Whoever had attacked her had done it from behind and had cast repeated hexes. “Anywhere else?” he asked.

Rachel pulled her hair over her shoulder and tugged the neckhole of her shirt back to reveal a few more welts on the upper area of her shoulders.

Severus left her standing by the fireplace, she was probably freezing running around dressed like that, and went to collect a jar of healing salve from one of the cabinets. He brought the jar back with him and thought of the first time he had Rachel in his office. She probably did not want him touching her unnecessarily.

“Take some of the salve from the jar and rub it on the welts,” he instructed. “Use more than you think you need and rub it so that it goes over the edge of the welt onto your healthy skin.”

Rachel accepted the jar and quickly got to work slathering her arms with the salve.

“Sir, what are you going to do? Rachel can’t defend herself. She can’t even tell us who attacked her,” Gemma said.

Rachel might not be able to tell them who attacked her, but Severus had his own suspicions. “Rachel, were the people who attacked you wearing Gryffindor uniforms?”

Rachel nodded once.

“Did they look like upper years, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old?” he asked.

Rachel shrugged and then nodded again.

Severus nodded in return. So about that age range, though she didn’t know exactly. “Were they girls?” he asked.

Rachel shook her head.

That narrowed down his suspect list to about fifteen students. He would need for it to be a little narrower to actually be able to do anything about this.

“Rachel, look at me for a moment please,” Severus said. He hadn’t tried legilimency on her since that time in his office, but maybe her defenses weren’t up all of the time.

He met her gaze and dove into her mind. Again he met the same wooden barrier. “Rachel?” he called, knocking his fist against the wall. “If you can hear me, this is not an attack. Open your mind so we can speak.”

Severus only waited about a minute before he slipped back out. His abilities as a legilimens were not well known and he didn’t want to cause Gemma to be suspicious.   
  
“I will speak with Professor McGonagall about putting an end to the bullying from her House,” Severus said. It was all he could do.

“So she’ll tell the bullies not to bully?” Gemma asked, before quickly adding “Sir”.

“I know, Miss Farley,” Severus said. “Perhaps they will reveal themselves in another way.”

Rachel had crouched down to put the healing salve on her legs. She stood up and handed the jar back to Severus.

“Are these the clothes you use to sleep in?” Severus asked, realizing that he hadn’t gotten her a pair of pajamas while they were shopping.

Rachel nodded.

“I will make arrangements,” Severus said. He could easily Owl Order a pair of pajamas for her. “If neither of you need anything else, I will bid you goodnight.”

“Thank you, Professor Snape,” Gemma said.

Rachel nodded again and left with Gemma.

Severus waited for a moment to compose himself entirely and then took some floo powder out of the jar on his mantle. It was time to pay Minerva a visit. 

*****

In the second week of October, Severus received a copy of the adoption paperwork and certificate in the mail. He was now officially Rachel’s guardian. He pondered the certificate while sitting in his office. It wasn’t so much that he was having second thoughts as he was wondering if he was actually ready to be the guardian to a child - and to this particular child.

He had told Lucius it wouldn’t be that different from being her Head of House, but he felt that it should be different. And, if he was actually going to help Rachel, it needed to be different. The attack on her had only reinforced how vulnerable Rachel was at Hogwarts, and not just to bullies. It would be a simple matter for one of the seventh year students to walk Rachel off Hogwarts grounds and apparate away with her. Rachel would probably go with them willingly, not knowing any better.

Severus decided it was time for another series of career and mentorship discussions with his upper years. It was the best opportunity he had to see if they were being influenced by the Dark Arts and how likely some of them were to follow in the footsteps of their parents.

At the staff meeting last week, Severus had brought up the fact that Rachel had been attacked by upper year students, watching Albus carefully as he did so. Severus wasn’t about to let a repeat of what had happened to him happen to Rachel. Gryffindors couldn’t just hurt other students with impunity.

Minerva had said that she’d discussed the matter with her upper years, threatening revocation of Hogsmeade privileges and a month's worth of detention to anyone caught bullying younger students.

Severus rather thought that this admonishment should have included bullying any students, regardless of whether or not the victim was younger.

Given the lackluster response, Severus had held a House meeting in the common room and encouraged his students to travel together through the halls of Hogwarts and in particular to look after the younger students. He had noticed both Millicent Bulstrode and Gemma Farley glancing at Rachel. Hopefully between the two of them they could keep Rachel safe in the hallways.

Severus’ first task after receiving the adoption paperwork was to make a copy, gather Rachel’s medical files, locate the address of her muggle relatives, and send it all off in a packet to Torey Halls, requesting an appointment for Rachel at her earliest convenience. The sooner Rachel could speak, the sooner she could learn to defend herself.

His second task was to write a note to Rachel, asking her to come to his office at five o’clock that evening. He felt it would be good for her to know that the adoption was official and that she wouldn’t be returning to her relatives.

His third task for the day was to steel himself for teaching third year potions for Gryffindor and Slytherin. If there was anything the entire staff could agree on it was that the Weasley twins were a menace.

*****

Rachel knocked on Professor Snape’s office door and waited. She didn’t think she had detention, but she didn’t know what he wanted either. At least he’d asked her to come before dinner so that she didn’t miss her after dinner study group.

The door opened and Professor Snape motioned her inside. He paused and then walked to the open door that led into his classroom. “If I see bat spleens in anywhere but the assigned receptacles you will both be receiving another detention,” he said sternly.

Rachel took a moment to peer through the door and saw the same red-headed boys she’d seen last time she’d been asked to come to Professor Snape’s office. This time they were cutting up potion ingredients instead of cleaning cauldrons.

Professor Snape waved his wand and the shimmering bubble of a privacy ward appeared around the office. “Please, have a seat.”

Rachel sat down and watched as Professor Snape sat down in a chair near her instead of behind his desk.

“I wanted to let you know that the adoption has been made official,” he said, taking a piece of paper from his desk and holding it out.

Rachel leaned forward and began to read - it was a lot easier to read things that weren’t up close to her face now that Professor Snape had taken her to get new glasses. The certificate was pretty straightforward. It listed her name, birthdate, and place of birth. Apparently she’d been born somewhere called Godric’s Hollow. Beneath that it listed her parents full names, noting that they were deceased. And beneath that, under the heading of guardian, it listed Professor Snape’s name - whose first name was Severus - and his birthday. She noticed that both her parents and Professor Snape had been born in 1960. Beneath all that was yesterday’s date and a signature she couldn’t make out and a seal from the Ministry of Magic.

She leaned back and nodded at Professor Snape to show that she understood.

“Your muggle relatives have been informed that you will not be returning to them,” Professor Snape said, putting the adoption certificate back on his desk.

Just like that, she didn’t have to go back? Rachel was certain that the Dursleys were as relieved about this news as she was. She had no idea what Professor Snape would be like as a guardian, but nothing she’d seen so far had suggested he would be worse than the Dursleys.

“Was there anything of yours that you needed from their house that you didn’t bring with you to Hogwarts?” Professor Snape asked.

Rachel shook her head. Everything that she owned had been in her trunk.

“Good,” he said, pausing as he looked at her. “I’m making arrangements for you to see a Mind Healer. She also has a muggle degree as a doctor. She will be helping you be able to speak.”

She looked down at her lap. She’d been at Hogwarts for a month and a half and Professor Snape didn’t seem to realize that she just couldn’t talk. Maybe this Mind Healer would be able to tell him that.

“Unless you have any questions or concerns, that’s all I needed to see you for,” he said after waiting for a moment.

Rachel had lots of questions. When was he going to stop thinking that she could speak? What would happen during the summers? Would they stay here at Hogwarts? What did he expect from her? What was she supposed to do?

She shook her head. She would just have to figure things out as she went along.

“Alright then. I’m here if you need anything,” Professor Snape said, getting to his feet. “You still have a little time before dinner starts.”

Rachel nodded and left the office, hearing Professor Snape say sternly “what did I say about the bat spleens?” as she shut the door.

She walked back to the common room in a bit of a daze. Her teacher was now her guardian. This continued to be the weirdest two months of her life.

*****

Rachel and Millie arrived at their usual table in the back of the library.

“Are you going to go look for books?” Millie asked when Rachel didn’t sit down.

Rachel nodded.

“Okay, I’ll wait here for Hermione,” Millie said, taking her own books out of her bag.

Rachel nodded again and left. She’d already gone through all of the books on non-verbal magic that were in the Charms section. Her next step was to check out the Defense section. She figured she’d save Transfiguration for last, since that seemed like the most difficult.

Defense was actually one of the classes that Rachel was doing well in. She didn’t even know if Professor Quirrell knew she couldn’t speak. Professor Quirrell typically lectured during class time and although spells were discussed and written about in their book, they hadn’t performed any in class. Just from the titles of books in the Defense section she could tell that they were barely brushing the surface of the subject in class.

Finally she picked out a slim volume titled  _ Caught Unaware: The Non-Verbal Advantage _ , and then made her way back to their table.

She arrived at the same time as Hermione, who had a Gryffindor boy with her. Rachel recognized him as the boy who fell off his broomstick and had difficulty in Potions.

“This is Neville Longbottom,” Hermione said. “He was wondering if he could join our study group.”

Rachel looked at the boy. Neville looked nervous and he kept giving them skittering glances like he was afraid to look at them for too long. His tie was tied incorrectly and one of his shoelaces was undone.

Rachel glanced at Millie to see if this was going to be a problem for her and then nodded to Hermione.

“Sure, he can sit with us,” Millie said, her acceptance seeming to hinge on Rachel’s.

“Thanks,” Neville said quietly. He sat down next to Hermione.

“So, usually we do a combination of independent research, essay writing, and exam preparation,” Hermione said, pulling a planner out of her bag. “However, we have two tests this week, one in Defense and one in Charms, so I think it makes sense to focus on revision today.”

“We have a test in Defense? Millie asked, digging through her notes.

“It was listed on the chalkboard, though Professor Quirrell didn’t remind us about it. You’d think that the professor would want people to study for it,” Hermione said, shaking her head.

“Maybe he won’t give us the test, because he didn’t remind us,” Neville suggested.

Hermione shook her head. “I don’t think it’s wise to rely on that. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”

Rachel set the book she’d picked out aside and pulled her Defense book out of her bag.

“It will probably be a review of what we’ve covered in class so far, which has been ghosts and imps, though we should include the Knockback Jinx with that as well since we discussed it for dealing with imps,” Hermione said. “I’ve managed to get it to work for me when I practiced, but I don’t think we should practice it in the library.”

Millie smirked. “Madam Pince would kill us and then make us put the books back on the shelves. In that order.”

“Let’s start with the simple questions and work toward the more complicated. What is the Ministry of Magic classification for imps?” Hermione asked, her book closed and her quill ready to take notes.

“Oh, beast,” Millie said, copying Hermione in writing it down. Neville picked up his quill too and wrote it out.

“Neville, you answer this one. What is the Ministry of Magic classification for ghosts?” Hermione prompted. “You can look at your notes if you need to, but try to answer it without looking first.”

Neville bit his lower lip and Rachel smiled at him when he looked in her direction. “Spirit?” he asked.

“That’s right, good job,” Hermione said, all of them pausing for a moment to write it down.

“This one is for Rachel. Nod your head if the Ministry classifies this as a spirit, shake your head if it’s classified as something else. Gytrash. Banshee. Boggart. Lethifold. Caipora. Nundu.” Hermione listed these as she read from her notes.

Rachel nodded for all of them except for Lethifolds and Nundu.

“Good,” Hermione said. “Now ask me a question from the book, Millie.”

Millie opened her book and after a moment she looked up. “What is the definition of a ghost?”

“A transparent three-dimensional imprint of a witch or wizard that continues to exist in the mortal world after the witch or wizard is deceased,” Hermione said, quoting nearly verbatim from their book.

“Yep,” Millie said, putting down her book and copying out the definition.

They continued studying, first Defense and then Charms, until it was time to go down for dinner.

*****

On Saturday morning, just after breakfast, Rachel walked with Professor Snape on the path that led off Hogwarts grounds. He had explained that you couldn’t apparate at Hogwarts, either in the castle or on the grounds, and they had to go past the main gate to be able to do so.

She didn’t know what to expect. Would this person just wave a wand at her like the last Healer did? Assign her a potion to drink? Something more?

Professor Snape seemed to have realized that she was short because he was walking slowly enough that she could keep up without having to do more than walk quickly. When they reached the gates he brought out his wand and waved it. The gates disappeared. Once they were on the other side of the gates he waved his wand again and the gates reappeared.

“Hold on to my arm and don’t let go. We’re going further than last time, so the sensation might last a little longer,” Professor Snape said, holding his arm out.

Rachel placed her hand on Professor Snape’s arm and held on as tightly as she dared. She closed her eyes and braced herself. She did not like the feeling of apparating.

After a moment of nauseating squeezing sensations they landed and Rachel opened her eyes. They were in an alleyway somewhere. It took her a moment of holding onto Professor Snape’s arm before she felt stable enough to let go and balance on her own two feet.

“It’s not far,” Severus said, his eyes searching her with concern.

Rachel followed Professor Snape out to the main road and they walked for about five minutes before they came to a small office building. They went inside and Professor Snape led the way to a room down the left hallway without consulting the building directory.

It was a waiting room, with a woman sitting and leafing through a magazine.

Professor Snape took a chair on the opposite side of the room and after a moment Rachel sat down next to him. 

“Your appointment is at ten,” Professor Snape said quietly.

Rachel watched the woman using small glances so that it wouldn’t look like she was staring. The woman seemed like a muggle, but Rachel and Professor Snape were both dressed in muggle clothing so it was hard to know for sure. Professor Snape had told her the Mind Healer was also a doctor, so maybe they saw both wizarding and muggle patients.

The door to the left opened and a boy exited and went to the waiting woman.

“Same time next week?” the woman asked the person in the doorway.

“Yes, I’ll see you then,” a woman said as she stepped out into the room.

The boy left with the woman who had been waiting and the other woman walked over to them.

“Hello, I’m Torey Halls. You can call me Torey. You’re Rachel, right?” she asked.

Rachel nodded.

“Let’s go into my office,” Torey said.

Rachel glanced at Professor Snape, who nodded, and then she followed Torey into her office.

The room didn’t look like an office at all. There was artwork done by kids on the walls, shelves of games and books, a couch and an armchair, and a desk shoved in the far corner.

“Sit down wherever you’d like,” Torey said.

Rachel walked over to the couch and sat down, since it seemed like the right thing to do.

Torey sat down in a rolling chair across from Rachel, a coffee table between them. “Did Professor Snape talk to you about why you’re here?”

Rachel nodded. She was here so this woman could do some magic to make her talk.

“Good,” Torey said. “So one thing I want you to know is that I’ve worked with a lot of kids who have trouble with speaking. Right now I don’t want you to worry about trying to talk to me. We’re just going to get to know each other a little bit.”

Rachel felt a little bit suspicious. She didn’t think there were a lot of kids who had trouble speaking. She’d never met anyone other than herself who didn’t speak.

“Do you know how to play checkers?” Torey asked.

Rachel stared and then nodded. She wondered if the checkers were magical, like with wizard’s chess.

“Do you have a preference to which color you are?” Torey asked as she retrieved a battered checkers box from a nearby shelf.

Rachel shook her head.

“I’ll take red then,” Torey said. “Why don’t you help me set up the pieces.”

Rachel did as instructed, kneeling down on the floor so she could reach better.

Torey sat down on the floor across from her. “Your move first.”

Rachel moved one of the pieces and watched as Torey moved another.

“Professor Snape was telling me that you started at Hogwarts this year,” Torey said.

Rachel nodded and moved another piece.

“I bet it is quite different from the muggle school you attended,” Torey said, making a move.

Rachel nodded again.

“I went to muggle schools in America, but did magic lessons in the evenings with a small group of students. Do you know where Idaho is?” Torey asked.

Rachel shook her head, taking her turn, but watching Torey. This was different than what she’d been expecting.

“It’s in the Northwest of the United States,” Torey explained. “There were only about a dozen magical families where I was living. After I graduated I attended a muggle university first, and then a university with a magical section on their campus.”

That was interesting. Rachel hadn’t realized there was additional magic schooling she could do after Hogwarts. She wondered if Hermione knew, since she would almost certainly be interested.

“I understand that Hogwarts is pretty cut off from the muggle world,” Torey said.

Rachel nodded.

“For me, the biggest change when I went to the Upper Lakes Institute was how openly people used magic on the magical section of campus. I was used to having to hide my magic. It felt very different to be able to do magic openly and talk about it without having to use coded words,” Torey said, jumping over one of Rachel’s pieces.

Rachel took the opportunity it opened to do a double jump and claim two of Torey’s pieces.

“Did you have to keep your magic hidden until you started at Hogwarts?” Torey asked.

Rachel kept her gaze focused on the checkers board. She hadn’t even known she was doing magic until Hagrid had told her. She just thought that weird things happened around her sometimes, and those weird things really upset the Dursleys.

“It must be a big change to see magic used so frequently at Hogwarts,” Torey said, even though Rachel hadn’t responded.

Rachel nodded. She’d been at Hogwarts seven weeks now and was slowly getting used to the idea that magic was real. And ghosts. And three-headed dogs.

They played two more games, Torey chattering about schools and magic, and Rachel nodding or shaking her head on occasion.

“It was nice to meet you, Rachel,” Torey said as she put away the checkers box. “I’ll see you again next week.”

Rachel left Torey’s office confused. As far as she could tell Torey hadn’t used magic on her at all.

“Did everything go alright?” Professor Snape asked once they were out of the building.

Rachel nodded, though she had no idea what to make of the experience.


	7. Halloween

On Monday afternoon Rachel waited until Hermione and Neville showed up in the library and sat down with her and Millie at their table before she set out the piece of parchment she’d spent the previous night writing.

“What’s this?” Hermione asked.

Rachel looked at the parchment and then around at Hermione, Millie, and Neville.

“You want all of us to read this?” Millie asked.

Rachel nodded. Over the past two months Millie had gotten really good at asking Rachel questions she could answer by nodding or shaking her head.

Millie moved around to the opposite side of the table, bending down to read over Hermione’s shoulder.

Rachel nervously played with the soft bits of feather on her quill as she waited. She had written about how she had gone with Hagrid to Gringotts on her birthday, and the package Hagrid had collected from vault 713 for Professor Dumbledore, and then the newspaper clipping she’d found at Hagrid’s that said there had been a break-in but the vault had been emptied earlier that day. She had also written about how she found the giant three-headed dog in the room in the third floor corridor and the trap door it was guarding.

Hermione finished reading first and looked at Rachel thoughtfully. “So that’s why Professor McGonagall gave our House a lecture on bullying.”

“What are they thinking, keeping a Cerberus locked up in a school?” Neville asked, looking horrified. “It could have eaten you!”

“A Cerberus, like in the Greek myth? Or, not a myth, I suppose,” Hermione said. “I can never tell what is going to turn out to be real. Merlin was a real person. Unicorns exist. Now a Cerberus.”

Rachel knew exactly how Hermione felt. Also, apparently unicorns were real.

“Why doesn’t Professor Dumbledore just keep whatever it is with him? It sounds like it’s small enough,” Millie said as she sat back down.

“Maybe it’s not safe to keep with you for extended periods of time,” Hermione suggested. “Without knowing what it is, it’s hard to say for sure. Okay, I think we need to do some research. I’m going to the Daily Prophet archives and seeing if I can find that article. The rest of you look in the magical creatures section for anything you can find about Cerberus’. Let’s meet back here in thirty minutes.”

Hermione disappeared in one direction and Rachel, Millie, and Neville walked through the shelves until they found the books about magical creatures. Rachel started opening books and scanning through the indexes at the back, or in the ones without an index, the chapter headings at the front. By the time they were done looking they’d each found two or three books.

“Here it is,” Hermione said as they returned to the table. She had a newspaper folded open to a section. It showed the same article Rachel had seen at Hagrid’s house.

Millie and Neville leaned in to read the article.

“That doesn’t tell us much more than we already knew,” Millie said. “I think we can assume whoever broke in was looking for the package Hagrid collected, and that they’re still after it if Professor Dumbledore is guarding it with a Cerberus.”

“How would they get into Hogwarts though? Hogwarts has wards,” Neville said.

“So does Gringotts,” Millie pointed out. “It’s a lot harder to get past the Goblins to get into Gringotts than it is to get into Hogwarts.”

“It would have to be, given how many people there are here,” Hermione agreed. “Let’s see what we can find out about Cerberus’ then.”

The four of them bent over their books and read in silence except when they shared a particularly interesting piece of information.

Rachel learned that all Cerberus’ were descended from the original Cerberus that guarded the gates of Hell. She wasn’t sure if that meant Hell was a real place too - the book didn’t go into detail. Cerberus’ were extremely rare and were native to Greece. She also learned that having more than one head was known as polycephaly. In a caretaking of rare creatures guide Rachel found something that caught her attention. She pushed her book over to Millie and held her finger under the sentence she wanted her to read.

“All Cerberus’ share much in common with the original Cerberus from which they are bred; they are fierce and extremely strong, they are excellent guard dogs, and they fall asleep to the sound of music,” Millie read out loud. “So all someone who wants to steal the package would have to do is get into Hogwarts and play the Cerberus some music?”

“Assuming they don’t get eaten alive before they can start playing,” Neville said. The book he was reading was open to a rather gory illustration of a man being torn apart by a Cerberus. The illustration was animated.

“And assuming they know what is in there and have done the research ahead of time,” Hermione said. “And, maybe it’s not just the Cerberus that is guarding the package. Maybe there are other protections beneath the trapdoor.”

Rachel nodded. It made sense not to only have one protection.

“It would really help if we knew what the Cerberus was guarding. Then we could figure out the motive, and from there figure out who wants to steal it,” Hermione said. “Next time we visit Hagrid let’s ask him what he knows about Cerberus’.”

“You really think Hagrid would tell us?” Millie asked.

Hermione smiled. “Hagrid loves to talk about his animals, and even if this Cerberus isn’t his, I bet he knows about it.”

*****

“She’s a nightmare! I mean she must notice she hasn’t got any friends.”

Rachel looked up the staircase to see that the speaker was a red-haired Gryffindor boy just in time to see Hermione shove past him, her face wet with tears.

“Hermione,” Millie called out as Hermione reached the bottom of the staircase and turned down one of the corridors.

Rachel went after her, Millie right behind Rachel, and they managed to catch a glimpse of Hermione racing into the first floor girls bathroom. They hurried into the bathroom after her.

“Leave me alone!” Hermione called from inside of one of the stalls.

“It’s me and Rachel,” Millie called back.

“I just want to be alone,” Hermione said, clearly crying.

Rachel walked over to the stall that Hermione occupied and sat down on the floor. Millie hesitated but then sat down next to Rachel.

“Weasley doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Rachel and I are your friends,” Millie said, looking uncomfortable as they listened to Hermione sob.

“It’s not fair,” Hermione said in between gasps for air. “I was just trying to help him. He was saying it wrong and I was trying to help him.”

Rachel looked at Millie and then shrugged. She had no idea what Hermione was talking about either.

Millie shrugged in return. “Then he’s stupid for not wanting your help. Everyone knows you’re the best in our class.”

That only made Hermione cry harder. “I don’t want to just be the one everyone goes to for help. I want them to like me for me.”

“Well, I like you. And I like our study group and that you help us study, but I don’t like you just for that,” Millie said.

Rachel nodded.

“Rachel’s nodding too, which means she likes you too,” Millie added.

Hermione sniffled. “I know. I just wish I wasn’t in Gryffindor. They don’t understand me. And I’m all alone there. Parvati and Lavender don’t care about studying at all. And the boys, they think I’m a bossy know-it-all.”

“Well, if you were in Ravenclaw, you would have had your study group there, and you never would have met me and Rachel,” Millie reasoned. “But, you could go to the Headmaster. Maybe he’d be willing to re-sort you?”

“I don’t think so. The only historic case of re-sorting was over two hundred years ago, when a student had a bludger hit him on the head and he had permanent amnesia,” Hermione said, her voice a little more steady.

“You read about this in _Hogwarts: A History_?” Millie asked, smiling at Rachel.

“Yes,” Hermione said, laughing a little bit. “Just so you know, Professor Flitwick is having us use the levitation charm in class today.”

“About time,” Millie said. “We’ve only been studying it for a month. Do you feel like going to lunch? We could go in, grab something, and then eat on the steps outside.”

Hermione opened the door to her stall and looked down at them. “Yeah. Just let me wash my face.”

Rachel and Millie stood up and Hermione threw her arms around them. “Thanks. For following me. I’m lucky that you’re my friends.”

“We’re glad to be your friends,” Millie said, Rachel nodding.

Rachel smiled as she watched Hermione step over to the sinks. She didn’t remember anyone ever hugging her before. She supposed her parents must have before they died, but she couldn’t remember that far back. It was a little uncomfortable, but also kind of nice.

They left the bathroom and found Neville waiting for them.

“I would have come in, but it's the girls bathroom,” he said, looking uncomfortable. “And Ron’s an idiot.”

Hermione hugged Neville too, Neville blushing brightly in response. “Thanks. Come on, we’re going to grab some lunch and eat out on the steps.”

They went to the Great Hall together, Hermione and Neville coming with them to the Slytherin table to collect food they could take with them, and then they went outside. It was a brisk Halloween day and they ate while watching the wind blow multicolored leaves across the grounds.

*****

Just before dinner time Rachel and Millie went to the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast. The upper years had been talking about the feast for days and Rachel was glad for something to look forward to.

The first thing Rachel noticed was the abundance of bats flying around the ceiling. There seemed to be quite a lot of them, which she thought was potentially unsanitary since they were flying over plates of food, and weren’t bats known to be carriers of rabies?

The rest of the decorations were more palatable. There were giant carved pumpkins from Hagrid’s garden on each of the tables, with candles lighting them from the inside. Orange and black streamers with glowing balloons every few feet decorated the walls along with animated pictures of ghosts and skeletons.

Strangely enough, none of the school ghosts seemed to be in attendance of the feast. Maybe they had something better to do on Halloween? Rachel had heard legends in the muggle world about ghosts using Halloween to return to the living for the night. Maybe that was actually true.

Rachel and Millie sat down near Theo and Blaise to get out of the way as more and more people joined the feast.

“Pumpkin pie!” Millie said happily as she looked over the dishes on the table.

There were platters of roasted beef, bowls of mashed potatoes, boats of thick gravy, turrens of pumpkin soup, dishes of mashed pumpkin, and more desserts and sweets than Rachel could name.

“Try to eat some real food before the desserts,” Gemma said, pausing next to them as Millie reached for the pumpkin pie.

Millie sighed heavily but redirected herself toward the platter of roast beef instead. Gemma nodded approvingly and went further down the table to sit with the rest of the upper-years.

Rachel had just served herself some mashed potatoes when the doors to the Great Hall slammed opened. She startled and turned, along with the rest of the students, to watch as Professor Quirrell ran through the doorway, his arms spread wide.

He kept running, all the way up to the staff table. “Troll in the dungeons!” he shouted, even though he was standing right in front of Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell then collapsed.

There was a bubble of silence in the Great Hall that was broken by someone screaming. Then chaos. Students jumped to their feet in panic as they shouted to each other. A few made to run for the doors.

Rachel ducked down as the person to her left clumsily jumped up and tried to disentangle themselves from the bench.

“Order!” Professor Dumbledore shouted, his voice magically loud. “Order! Prefects, escort your Houses to their common rooms. Staff with me.”

“First years and second years with me,” Gemma called, standing on one of the benches. Other prefects began calling out for different years to go join them. The room slowly became less chaotic as students filtered out with their prefects leading the way.

“But our common room is in the dungeons,” Draco said, his expression uncharacteristically fearful. “Quirrell said the troll is in the dungeons.”

“The upper years will be going first and our common room isn’t very far into the dungeons,” Gemma said, glancing over the group of first and second years surrounding her. “Besides, you can smell a troll long before you see them. We’ll have plenty of warning if the troll is near our common room. Let’s go.”

They followed Gemma out one of the side doors and went down into the dungeons in a cluster. Draco was clutching his wand and peering down at where the third and fourth years were walking about twenty paces ahead.

“How could a troll even get into Hogwarts?” Millie asked Rachel in a whisper.

Rachel shrugged. Until about five minutes ago she hadn’t known that trolls were a real thing. There had to be some sort of primer for students from the muggle world that went through and listed what was real and what was still fiction. If there wasn’t one, Rachel thought she would like to write one when she was grown up.

Millie looked around and then tugged on Rachel’s sleeve and guided her to the back of the group. “What if someone let the troll in, so that they could try to steal whatever was in Hagrid’s package?” Millie whispered.

Rachel thought about it and then nodded. That made a lot of sense. If all of the staff were searching for the troll, then whoever it was could go up to the third floor without anyone noticing.

Millie frowned. “Should we do something about it?”

What could they do? Tell a teacher? They might not even know about the package or the three-headed dog. Go to the third floor themselves? Rachel couldn’t do any magic and Millie could only transfigure a matchstick into a needle and levitate a feather. They weren’t any match against a thief.

Rachel shrugged and then shook her head.

“Yeah,” Millie agreed, sighing. “I don’t even know what we’d do. We can’t just go find Professor Dumbledore.”

“Keep up, girls,” Gemma called.

Rachel and Millie hurried to catch up with the rest of the group and when they entered the common room they found that the food from the feast had been brought to them. They got plates of food - Millie took two slices of pumpkin pie - and they went to sit in an out of the way corner of the room.

A little while later, after Rachel was stuffed on pie and fudge, Gemma came over to them. “Are you both alright? I know that was a little scary.”

Rachel nodded.

“What are they going to do to the troll when they find it?” Millie asked.

“Well, if they can, they’ll knock it out and send it back to a troll reserve,” Gemma said. “If they can’t contain it, they’ll have to kill it.”

“Can trolls swim?” Millie asked.

Gemma blinked, nonplussed. “Swim? Well, in general no, though river trolls can submerge themselves for extended periods of time. Why?”

“David Zeek was taking bets on how the troll got into the castle. I thought maybe it had gone through the pipes that empty into the Great Lake,” Millie said.

Gemma sighed. “I will deal with David. I trust both of you were smart enough not to place bets.”

Rachel and Millie nodded, though they’d seen Draco place five galleons that the troll had been lurking in the Forbidden Forest.

“Good. Let me know if you need anything,” Gemma said and then departed.

Someone turned on the gramophone and Rachel winced at the loud noise.

“Want to go back to our dorm?” Millie said, nearly shouting in order to be heard over the music.

Rachel nodded. While the food had been good, Halloween parties just weren’t her favorite thing.

*****

Severus hurried up the stairs between the second and third floor, his mind back on Quirrell collapsed in the Great Hall. If Quirrell was being tended to by Poppy, he couldn’t be going to the third floor corridor. That wouldn’t stop the Dark Lord from sending someone else.

Currently they had no proof that Quirrell was working with the Dark Lord, but Severus had little doubt. The man had been swayed while on his sabbatical, Severus was certain. He knew the Dark Lord, as well as any man could, and he’d seen the duplicity in Quirrell’s eyes.

He scowled as he hurried down the corridor. Albus had felt it was better to keep Quirrell at Hogwarts, where they could watch him. Albus had said it was better to have more information than less. Albus had said they didn’t have proof.

Albus said a lot of things.

Severus cast a silent unlocking charm at the door and then carefully eased it open. He didn’t want to alert anyone who might be inside to his presence. When there was no outcry he opened the door wider and stepped inside, quickly scanning the room for any signs of intruders.

Faster than he could react one of the giant dog’s heads came for him and its jaws latched onto his leg. “Stupefy!” he cried out, his wand pointing directly at the head that had bit down on his leg. The dog didn’t lose consciousness but withdrew.

Severus stumbled out of the room and shoved the door closed. “Colloportus,” he said, his wand aimed at the door while he reached for his leg with his other hand. He was bleeding, though not badly. He would have to get a better look at his leg to see how deeply the dog’s teeth had pierced his skin.

Satisfied that the Stone was not in danger, not tonight at least, Severus went to the nearby Defense classroom and used one of the small pouches of floo powder that he carried with him to return to his office. He sank down into the chair behind his desk and summoned his jar of healing salve.

It took him about five minutes to tend to his leg. The wounds would heal within a few days and a quick bandaging charm prevented him from getting blood and healing salve on his clothing.

He added more floo powder to the pouch he’d used and then tossed another handful of floo powder into the fireplace. “Headmaster’s office.”

Once the connection was established he called out “Albus, are you there?”

“Come on through, Severus,” Albus called back.

Severus stepped through the green flames and out into the Headmaster’s office. Albus and Minerva were both there. “The Stone is secure,” Severus reported. “I detected no intrusions.”

“Excellent,” Albus said. “Minerva and Filius dealt with the troll. We found it on the first floor. Hagrid and Silvanus are preparing it to have it transported to a reserve in Gwydir.”

Severus nodded to Minerva, acknowledging her prowess as a witch. “I would think it would be unwise to ignore that Quirinus has a known affinity for trolls,” he said, looking from Minerva to Albus.

“I do agree that it’s likely Quirinus let the troll into Hogwarts, though how he arranged it, I’m still uncertain,” Albus said.

“You think he did so at You-Know-Who’s bidding?” Minerva asked, her features drawn tight in concern.

“In an attempt to get the Stone, yes,” Albus said. He sat down behind his desk, looking troubled.

Severus knew not to ask whether Albus thought it was wise to keep Quirrell on staff. Instead he tried another approach. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him. I haven’t seen him leave the castle, though he had a free period this afternoon when he could have let in the troll. It’s likely he’s flooing from his office or his quarters to meet with the Dark Lord. Perhaps we should be monitoring the Hogwarts floos?”

Albus nodded. “That seems wise, though I regret the intrusion of privacy to my staff.”

“Under the circumstances, Albus, I think it’s forgivable. If Voldemort, in whatever form he may currently be in, is providing instructions to Quirinus, we cannot be caught unaware,” Minerva said.

Severus nodded sharply. “If there’s nothing more, I would like to see that my House has settled in for the evening.”

“Of course, Severus,” Albus said.

Severus flooed back to his quarters and paused for a moment to take a Pain Soothing Potion. The sharp pains in his leg eased some and he decided to go check on his Slytherins and spread the word that the troll was now out of the castle.

*****

Severus sat in his office on Saturday evening. There had been no new developments about the troll getting into the castle, though speculation among staff and students alike was rampant. The throbbing in his leg had dulled with several applications of healing salve over the past two days.

He was waiting for Rachel. He’d sent her a note inviting her for dinner after reading her potions essay yesterday evening. Amazingly, she had written two questions to him at the bottom of the essay. Severus couldn’t help but think that was an improvement compared to the start of the year. Her questions, on the other hand, had given him some more insight into Rachel’s life with her relatives.

Severus had contemplated visiting Rachel’s relatives multiple times. Surely it would help him if he used legilimency on them and learned exactly what had happened to Rachel? He wasn’t above cursing them either. The only thing that held him back was that Albus would undoubtedly know what he’d done. For all that Albus said that he trusted Severus, Severus knew that trust was tempered with knowledge of what Severus had done as a Death Eater.

A light knock on his office door let him know that Rachel had arrived. He opened the door and found her looking up at him. “Come in,” he said.

Rachel stepped inside and Severus closed the door behind her.

“We’ll be dining in my quarters,” Severus explained, walking over to the empty wall near the fireplace. “Come here and press your hand against the wall.”

Rachel seemed slightly nervous but did as instructed.

When her hand was in place, Severus placed his wand against the back of it and began modifying his wards to recognize her. The wards to his quarters only admitted himself, Albus, Minerva, Poppy, and now Rachel.

Severus lifted his wand away and Rachel’s hand began to sink into the wall. She pulled it back, clearly alarmed.

“This allows you to enter my quarters through the wall,” Severus explained. He put his hand against the wall and let it sink through before pulling it back again. “Place your hand against the wall, and when it sinks through, you can step through the wall into my quarters.”

She looked at him, clearly uncertain, but placed her hand on the wall. When her hand sank through she closed her eyes and stepped through the wall.

Severus followed her and nearly bumped into her as he stepped through. “Have a seat at the table and I will order us some dinner,” he said.

Rachel went to the table, her eyes darting around as she took in her surroundings.

He didn’t mind. It was reasonable that she was curious - most students never saw the inside of their professors’ quarters. He went to the fireplace and tossed in a handful of floo powder from the jar on the mantle. “Hogwarts Kitchens.”

“How may we help you, sirs?” came a squeaky voice of a House Elf once the flames had turned green.

“Dinner for two in my quarters. We’ll have whatever the main dish is that’s being served in the Great Hall,” Severus instructed.

“Right away, sirs,” the House Elf answered.

Severus left the fireplace and by the time he sat down at the table two plates of shepherd's pie with bread rolls and buttered peas appeared, along with a glass of wine for Severus and a glass of pumpkin juice for Rachel.

Rachel watched as he picked up his silverware and cut into the shepherd’s pie.

“You can eat,” Severus said, when she didn’t pick up her own silverware.

She began eating, her gaze going back and forth between her plate and Severus.

“I’d like to talk to you about the questions you asked at the end of your essay,” Severus said. “First, that seems like a good way to communicate for now. Feel free to include any questions you have to me in your essays, or just send me a note by owl.”

Rachel ducked her head and nodded.

“As for your first question, you need not pay me back for your clothes or your glasses. I am your guardian, that means that I’m responsible for purchasing whatever you need. You’re welcome to use money from your vault to pay for frivolities within reason, such as sweets, but I will pay for your clothes, your school books, and other necessities,” Severus explained.

Rachel just blinked, her fork resting in her peas.

“I can guess that your relatives made an issue out of spending money on you,” Severus continued when Rachel didn’t move. He remembered the sneer on his own father’s face when he had seen the list of items Severus needed to attend his first year at Hogwarts. “They were not good people and the way they treated you was appalling. Parents and guardians are responsible for their children’s welfare, including buying them the things they need. You are not a burden.”

Rachel looked away, focusing on her plate.

Severus felt that was about the best he could do without knowing more specifics about the way her relatives treated her. “As to your second question, we will be spending school holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, here at Hogwarts. As Head of House I’m responsible for any Slytherin students that choose to remain behind, and thus must remain at Hogwarts. During the summer holidays, I have a house that we will stay at, once I’ve finished my obligations here at Hogwarts. You are not ever returning to your relatives because they are no longer your guardians, I am.”

Rachel’s shoulders relaxed a little and she nodded.

He resumed eating and after a moment Rachel started to eat again as well.

“Are your classes going alright?” Severus asked once they had both finished their plates. Their empty plates disappeared a moment later.

Rachel nodded again.

“Are any of the professors still taking points because you can’t answer questions or perform spells?” he asked.

Rachel shook her head.

“Good,” Severus said. Two smaller plates appeared with a piece of custard tart for each of them.

“You’re doing very well in Potions. Your essays are thorough and the potions you brew are accurate. In your essays, I would suggest spending some time on why ingredients have the reactions they do,” Severus said, then taking a bite of his tart.

Rachel nodded, digging into her own dessert.

Severus nodded to himself, uncertain of what else to say. He was bad at making small talk under most circumstances, and to do so with someone who couldn’t speak was even more difficult.

They finished their desserts in silence and Severus guided Rachel back through the permeable wall that led into his office and sent her back to the common room.

It was a start.


	8. Revealing Conversations

“Do you have your cloaks and your scarves?” Gemma asked the assembled group of Slytherin first years. “Daphne, Pansy, go back into your dorm room and get your scarves, it’s cold out there.”

Daphne and Pansy left the group, Pansy shooting back a scowl in Gemma’s direction.

Rachel bounced on her toes. Today was the first Quidditch match of the season and it was Slytherin versus Gryffindor. While she had gone with Draco several times now to use the school brooms to fly on the grounds, she had only heard about Quidditch. They’d tossed a Quaffle around the last time they’d gone flying and Draco had talked about wanting to fly on the Quidditch pitch some time when the House teams weren’t training.

“I’m going to go out for the Quidditch team next year,” Draco said, something they’d heard him say a lot as Quidditch season came closer.

“Well, you’ll get a chance, both Ismelda and Terrance are seventh years this year,” Gemma said. “Competition is tight though, a lot of people want to play on the team.”

Draco just smiled, apparently confident with his Quidditch skills.

“Alright, are we all here now?” Gemma asked as Daphne and Pansy returned with their green and silver scarves draped over their shoulders.

“Let’s go before all the good seats are taken,” Blaise said eagerly.

Gemma led the way out of the common room and they walked up to the main level of Hogwarts and then out onto the grounds.

Rachel pulled her cloak around her more closely. Gemma had been right, it was freezing. And she’d heard that Quidditch matches could go on for hours.

They climbed up to the Slytherin section of the stands and then were free to find seats wherever they could. Rachel climbed up to the seats in the back that were less crowded, Millie following right behind her.

“First and second years, if you need a warming charm placed on your clothes, just ask me,” Gemma called, looking out over them before sitting down with a group of fifth years.

“I think I’m going to need that warming charm pretty soon,” Millie said, wrapping her scarf so that it covered her mouth and her neck.

Rachel copied her.

Down on the pitch two teams assembled and then got on their brooms. A loud whistle from Madam Hooch started the game and the players vaulted up into the air.

Rachel quickly tuned out the commentator, who was clearly biased toward the Gryffindor team, and just watched the players fly and the Quaffle move smoothly back and forth. It was hard to tell from the stands, but she was pretty sure the Beaters on the Gryffindor team were the two red-haired twins she kept seeing in detention with Professor Snape.

One of the Chasers, who the announcer identified as Marcus Flint, blocked the Gryffindor Seeker and earned Gryffindor a penalty shot. Rachel had seen Marcus sitting with the upper years in the common room, but he hadn’t paid any attention to the younger years. Most of the upper years generally didn’t, apart from the prefects and the students who had signed up to lead the study sessions.

A few minutes later Marcus scored and Rachel waved her hands as the rest of the Slytherin section cheered loudly.

“Let’s go get a warming charm from Gemma,” Millie said once the cheering had calmed down.

Rachel nodded. Her fingers felt frozen stiff.

They carefully made their way down a few rows.

Gemma knew what they wanted immediately and pulled out her wand. “I’ll put the warming charm on your inner robes so it will last longer,” she said, pointing her wand at Millie. “Calidum aerem.”

She repeated the process for Rachel and Rachel immediately felt a rush of warmth clinging to her body. Rachel hadn’t realized how cold she had been until she felt warm again.

“Thank you!” Millie said and she and Rachel returned to their seats higher in the stands.

The game went on for another thirty minutes before the announcer called out “Terrance Higgs is after the Snitch, Allison Barnes close on his tail.”

Rachel leaned forward, watching eagerly. Of all the positions on the Quidditch team, Seeker was the one that interested her the most. She wasn’t strong enough to be a Beater, she didn’t think she would like being a Keeper very much, and Chaser seemed okay. But Seekers had to be fast and watchful.

Terrance and Allison flew across the field, Allison slowly gaining on Terrance. The Chasers kept going, seemingly oblivious to their Seekers plight, while Beaters from both teams moved off to send the Bludgers toward the Seekers.

At last Terrance lurched forward and grabbed the Snitch. The Slytherin stands erupted in shouting and cheering.

Rachel and Millie leapt to their feet clapping as the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team flew up to congratulate their Seeker.

“And that’s the match to Slytherin, one hundred and sixty points to twenty,” the announcer called, sounding much less enthused than he had during the game.

“Look, I think Hagrid is over in the Gryffindor stands. Do you want to go say hi to him?” Millie asked.

Rachel nodded, but put her hand on Millie’s arm.

Millie looked around and then looked back at Rachel. “Want to wait until people aren’t getting crushed on the stairs?”

Rachel nodded quickly.

“Seems like a good idea,” Millie agreed and sat back down.

Rachel joined her and they watched as their celebrating Housemates made their way out of the stands.

***** 

“There you are, we were hoping you’d be able to find us,” Hagrid said as Rachel and Millie finally approached.

“We were waving at you from the Gryffindor section but we weren’t sure you saw us,” Hermione said.

“We didn’t, but we saw Hagrid,” Millie said.

“Why don’t you come on down to my place for a cup of tea. It’s right cold out here,” Hagrid said.

“Yes, please,” Neville said, shivering so hard his teeth were chattering.

“Why didn’t you ask one of your prefects to perform a warming charm on your clothes?” Millie asked Neville as they started walking.

Neville shrugged. “I didn’t think to ask them.”

“They didn’t offer?” Millie asked.

“No, they didn’t. Did yours?” Hermione asked.

“Yes, Gemma offered to all of us when she led us to the stands,” Millie said. “Though my warming charm is starting to wear off. Maybe this is one we should look up in the library and see if we can learn to do it. I think we’re going to need it if it gets any colder.”

“Ah, it will get colder yet, just you see. When the winds whip through the January frosts you’ll be downright frozen in your Herbology classes,” Hagrid said.

Rachel was not looking forward to that.

“In that case I’m going to put warming charms at the top of my research list,” Hermione said, nodding firmly. “It seems like your prefects are really helpful. They lead your study groups and they took you to your classes the first week. I wish ours would show more initiative in helping us. I had to ask Professor McGonagall how to get to the library during my first week.”

“Professor Snape is always strict with his prefects,” Hagrid said, opening the door to his house and grabbing onto Fang’s collar before he could leap out at them. “He likes to run a tight House.”

“I have to admit, I’m a little jealous,” Hermione said, holding out her hands to try to prevent Fang from jumping on her. “Our prefects aren’t much help at all.”

“I’m not jealous, I think it would be scary to have Professor Snape as our Head of House,” Neville said, sliding by Hagrid and Fang to take a seat. “He’s even scarier than Professor McGonagall.”

Millie shook her head. “Professor Snape is not that scary. He’s just really strict in class.”

Neville moaned. Potions class had not gotten much better for him after his first melted cauldron.

“Ready for me to let him loose?” Hagrid asked as he shut the door behind all of them.

Rachel held out her arms and a moment later Fang was jumping up so his front paws were on her shoulders and he was licking her face. She closed her eyes and eagerly pet his head and scratched behind his ears.

“We know who Fang likes best,” Millie said.

“He’s a sucker for anyone who doesn’t get tired of petting him,” Hagrid agreed as he put the kettle on the fire.

A short time later they had cups of tea in front of them and Fang had settled his head in Rachel’s lap.

“Hagrid, you know lots about all sorts of unusual creatures, right?” Hermione asked.

“I know my way around plenty of creatures,” Hagrid said easily. “Acromantulas, Runespoors, Ashwinders, Unicorns, of course. I’d love a dragon, I know lots about them.”

Rachel exchanged a glance with Millie and Neville. So they were doing this then.

“What about Cerberus’?” Hermione asked, her voice carefully casual.

It didn’t work. “How do you know about Fluffy?” he demanded.

“Fluffy?” Neville asked incredulously.

“That’s his name, though I don’t know how you’d know about him. That corridor is off limits!” Hagrid said, unusually serious. “You could have been hurt or killed sneaking around there.”

“We didn’t, it was an accident,” Millie quickly explained.

“Well don’t go back there, it’s not safe,” Hagrid said firmly.

They all paused for a moment and Hagrid took a gulp of tea. Rachel ducked down to focus on petting Fang. She felt a little nervous - she didn’t like that Hagrid had gotten so upset.

“How did you get a Cerberus? They’re supposedly quite rare,” Hermione ventured.

“That they are. I got him off a Greek bloke that I met down at the pub, sometime last year,” Hagrid said. “He wanted to get Fluffy off his hands before he grew - the puppies are only as big as Fang here, you know - and I thought he might be useful around here,” Hagrid explained. “Sure enough, I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the -”

The four of them looked expectantly at Hagrid.

Hagrid shook his head. “You lot should keep your noses out of this. It’s Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel’s business, none of yours.”

“Even though whoever let the troll in the castle on Halloween was definitely trying to steal it?” Millie asked.

Hagrid frowned. “Don’t go off investigating this. Professor Dumbledore has it under control and it’s not safe for you to get tangled up in it.”

They all nodded, though Rachel knew the topic wouldn’t leave their minds just because Hagrid had told them not to investigate.

They were on their way back to the castle when Neville asked “Who’s Nicolas Flamel?”

“That’s a very good question,” Hermione said. “I think Nicolas Flamel and warming charms are our next priority in the library. Let’s go get rid of our cloaks and scarves and meet at our table in the library in thirty minutes.”

*****

Severus sat in the waiting room outside Torey Halls’ office. It was a room that he’d become quite familiar with over the past month. He’d begun to bring a book with him to read while he waited for Rachel, though today Rachel was not in the office.

He’d written to Torey after the last time Rachel had seen her and asked if she would give him an update on how Rachel was doing. The response he received requested that he come to her office so that they could discuss the matter.

The office door opened and Torey stepped out. “Severus, come on in,” she said, waiting for him in the doorway.

Severus went inside her office and took a seat in one of the chairs.

Torey sat down in her desk chair and picked up a file from her desk. “How are you doing?”

“I am well,” Severus said flatly. “And yourself?”

“Also well. I appreciate that you contacted me about Rachel, as I had intended to speak with you soon. How would you say Rachel has been doing in her communication at school and her communication with you?” Torey asked.

“I haven’t heard any complaints from her other professors. She still doesn’t speak in class, but she writes her essays and her tests. With me, about three weeks ago she wrote a question for me on the bottom of her essay,” Severus said. “This is progress, as before she wouldn’t write down any questions for me.”

Torey nodded and took down a few notes. “That is progress. Can I ask what she wrote to you?”

“She asked what would happen during the holidays and told me that she would pay me back for the clothing and glasses that I had purchased for her. I had her come to my quarters for dinner and explained to her that she would remain with me during the holidays and that she did not have to pay me back for her expenses as those were now my responsibility,” he explained.

“I suspect she isn’t used to having someone taking care of the things she needs,” Torey said. “I requested her records from her previous school and they are certainly cause for concern.”

“The muggles at the school suspected she was being abused?” Severus asked.

“They weren’t quite sure what to make of her,” Torey said. “She rarely had her homework finished, but did well on tests and class work. The specialist Rachel was seeing when she first stopped speaking noted that Rachel’s clothes were often ragged and unwashed, and that Rachel herself was often unwashed. Which brings me to my main point. Up until Year 3 there were no real comments on Rachel’s reports - she was a fairly average student. In Year 4, when she returned to school shortly after she turned eight years old, she had stopped speaking entirely.”

“That was over three years ago,” Severus said, wondering if Rachel had been silent all that time.

“When her relatives were contacted by the school, they indicated that Rachel was just stubborn and that she wasn’t speaking at home either. She saw a specialist for six months, who reported no progress, and then Rachel was returned to her classroom full time without any supports,” Torey said, her frown creasing the corners of her mouth. “Based on the medical records you sent from Hogwarts, it stands to reason that the incident which caused the scarring in her throat took place during the summer she turned eight years old.”

Severus nodded. “Our Healer thought it was likely that Rachel had ingested some sort of corrosive muggle potion.”

“Likely bleach or a cleaning solution,” Torey said. “And given her age and that fact that her relatives were also beating her, it seems likely that it was a forced ingestion rather than accidental.”

“The scarring on her throat is gone now,” Severus said, containing his horror at the thought of Rachel’s muggle relatives force-feeding her a corrosive solution. “We saw a Healer at Saint Mungo’s who suggested a potion for the scarring. Our school Healer has been monitoring Rachel and says that the potion was effective at removing the scar tissue.”

“The scarring on her throat may be gone, which is a good thing, but the effects of such a trauma are certainly not gone from Rachel’s mind. In most cases intervention for children who don’t speak are undertaken within six months to a year of when they first stop speaking, and they typically will still speak in their home environment. Rachel likely hasn’t spoken to anyone for over three years,” Torey said, tapping her pen impatiently against her file.

“You’re saying you can’t help her?” Severus asked, his hand resting on the pocket where he kept his wand.

“I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying this is going to take time. Rachel is both used to not speaking and used to people ignoring her. We need to start having Rachel involved in conversations, even if she’s not verbally speaking in those conversations yet,” Torey explained. “Having her write questions to you is a good first step. Encourage that if you can. I would also recommend having dinners with her regularly, at least once a week if possible, and engage her in conversations. Ask her about her classwork and how her week went and put those questions in a way where she can answer yes or no.”

Severus nodded slowly. It wasn’t ideal, but he could do it if it was necessary for Rachel to begin to speak again.

“How is she with her classmates? Do you notice any of them seeming friendly with her?” Torey asked.

“She seems to be fast friends with one of her dormmates, a girl named Millicent Bulstrode. They pair together whenever we have group work in my class and I rarely see them outside of each other’s company in the common room or the Great Hall,” Severus explained. “I’ve also asked one of my prefects who is in charge of the first years to check in on Rachel and keep an eye on her. My prefects often notice things happening in the common room before I do.”

“Good,” Torey said. “That’s very good. That will help Rachel build a support system. I’m hoping that she can generalize the skill of writing down notes or questions to her friend, maybe to me and to her other professors as well. It’s a good first step.”

“You don’t think she’ll become dependent on writing for communicating?” Severus asked.

“No, I don’t. I wouldn’t encourage it in someone who has just stopped speaking, but in this case it’s a start for her to make connections and to practice overcoming the embarrassment associated with communicating. Once she’s doing that regularly, I’m going to ask her to start trying to whisper words to herself when she’s alone. Just a single word to start with, and then a few words, and then sentences. After that we’ll follow up with trying to whisper to me, you, or to a friend. Once she’s comfortable doing that, we’ll see if she can whisper to other people.”

Severus nodded, understanding the idea. “And after that, talking normally to herself, and then us, and then people in general.”

“Yes,” Torey said, nodding. “But it’s going to take time and patience. Don’t expect her to be talking within a few months of treatment.”

“I understand,” Severus said. It would not be what Albus wanted to hear, but it was necessary.

*****

On a Thursday evening, near the end of November, Rachel approached where Gemma was sitting alone at one of the tables in the Slytherin common room.

“Hi Rachel, can I help you with something?” Gemma asked, looking up from the book she was reading.

Rachel sat down next to her and pulled a few scraps of parchment, a regular quill, a bottle of ink, and a penknife from her pockets and handed Gemma one of the scraps of parchment with a note asking her how to sharpen a regular quill and use the bottle of ink.

“Sure, it looks like you’ve got the hang of writing with the self-inking quill,” Gemma said. She picked up the quill Rachel had placed on the table and the penknife. “Okay, this one is a little dull so it will be good to practice on. So the first thing you want to do is extend the slit that is in the center of the shaft. Then you’re going to use diagonal strokes to trim a little from each side. Once you’ve done that, cut horizontally across the bottom to give it a sharp edge. Now you try.”

Rachel accepted her quill and her penknife back and got to work copying what Gemma had just shown her.

“Trim a little more from the left side,” Gemma said when Rachel paused.

Rachel did so, and then made the horizontal cut across the bottom.

“Good job. You’ll know when you need to sharpen it when it starts blotting ink on your papers,” Gemma said. “Now, for inking it yourself. Dip the nib entirely in the inkwell, draw it out slowly, and wipe the excess on the inside of the inkwell. You can always redip it if you need more ink, but until you learn the spell for getting rid of ink splotches it’s easier to redip than it is to clean up messy ink,” Gemma explained. “In general, after you get the hang of using an inkwell, I would go ahead and keep using the self-inking quills because they’re much easier. The only time you will need a regular quill and an inkwell is for exams, because they don’t allow any type of spelled quills in exams.”

Rachel nodded. That didn’t sound too hard. She handed Gemma her next next note, asking how Owl Ordering worked. She had overheard Draco and Blaise talking about Owl Ordering sweets - as if the sweet packages Draco’s mother regularly sent him weren’t enough - and Rachel was hoping she could use it to order Christmas presents for her friends.

Gemma read the note and nodded. “Owl Ordering is pretty easy. Shops that take Owl Orders put out catalogues, showing what items they offer and how much they cost. Write down what you want and include the money in your envelope and you send it to the shop by owl, and then they’ll send you your stuff. You can also ask them to wrap the items and ship them to different people for gifts. I’m guessing you’re hoping to do Christmas shopping?”

Rachel nodded again.

“Wait here for a minute,” Gemma said, getting to her feet and walking toward the girls’ dorms.

Rachel looked around the common room as she waited and noticed that apart from the handful of people who were studying by themselves, most were gathered by year. The common room was about half full, with some older students probably still out and about in the castle and some of the younger ones already in their dorms. A group of upper years, including most of the prefects, was occupying the coveted couches around the fireplace.

Gemma returned with a thin stack of parchment and placed it on the table. “Here are some catalogues I have. You can borrow them and use them to order for this year. When you write your letters, request that they send you a catalogue so you can have your own. If a shop you’re looking for isn’t here, you can post something on the noticeboard asking if someone has a catalogue you can borrow, or you can write directly to the shop and request one.”

Rachel flipped through the catalogues and figured everything she needed was there. There was one from Flourish and Blotts, one from Gladrags Wizardwear, and one from Honeydukes. The catalogues looked thin at first, but every time she turned a page another page appeared. She pulled out another prepared note, this one thanking Gemma and asking how the owl post worked.

“Magic,” Gemma said with a smile. “The owls are enchanted when they are owlets and taught how to match an individual’s magic signature with their name. Names carry magical power, as you’ve surely heard in classes by now, and when the owl is given a letter, it matches the name on the letter to the magic signature of the person and homes in on them. That’s how your mail in the Great Hall always comes to you and not just a general location. For businesses or muggles you have to include the address, and the owl will know where to go because of the locator spells it was enchanted with while it was young. Owls are very useful, you might want to consider getting one at some point, even though you can use the school owls for sending things. Most people prefer to have their own.”

Rachel hesitated and then picked up one of the scraps of parchment she’d put a note on and then dipped her quill pen in the ink like Gemma had instructed. She quickly wrote out  _ ‘I like cats’ _ and shoved the parchment toward Gemma while blushing. Her hands were shaking a little bit.

“Cats are good too, especially if they’re part Kneazle. They’re very smart and loyal,” Gemma said. “My suggestion is to put in on your wishlist. You never know what Father Christmas might bring.”

Rachel frowned. She had known for a long time that Father Christmas was just your parents, and as Rachel didn’t have any parents she’d never gotten gifts at Christmas. Besides, it was way too much to ask for a pet. Pets required a lot of work and care. She knew some of the students at school had cats, but she didn’t know how they were fed or how they used a litter box or anything.

“Anything else?” Gemma asked.

Rachel shook her head and wrote out  _ ‘Thank you’ _ beneath her last message.

“You’re welcome,” Gemma said.

Rachel gathered up all her stuff and went back to her dorm, intending on looking through the catalogues to see what sort of things could be purchased in the wizarding world. She’d only had a brief look through Diagon Alley and after all the reading she’d been doing in the library she knew the shops she’d seen only contained a small amount of what was possible.

*****

Severus stalked down the Defense corridor, irritated and aware that he was running late for his dinner with Rachel. He had taken to placing eavesdropping spells on Quirrell’s office. They’d had no indication that he was having conversations with the Dark Lord by floo, or that Quirrell was using the floo at all. Either Quirrell was lying low after the failed attempt on Halloween - which Severus had come to believe had not been a real attempt, just a feint to test their defenses - or he had other ways of communicating with the Dark Lord.

He made it all the way to the dungeons, lost in rumination, and found Rachel waiting outside his office door. “I hope I haven’t left you waiting long,” he said by way of apology.

Rachel shook her head.

Severus let her into his office and closed the door behind him. “Go on through and take a seat at the dining table, I’ll be right there,” he instructed.

Rachel looked at him and then placed her hand on the blank spot on his wall and sank through a moment later.

He gathered the essay that Rachel had handed in yesterday from the stack on his desk and followed her into his quarters. He ordered food using the floo and joined Rachel at the table just as two plates appeared, with pork chops, roast potatoes, and carrots. A goblet of pumpkin juice arrived for Rachel and a glass of red wine for Severus.

“Did you have a good week?” Severus asked, not wanting to jump straight to the question she’d written on the bottom of her essay.

Rachel nodded and started working on cutting her pork chop.

Severus blinked and reminded himself that Rachel had undoubtedly not been taught table manners by her relatives. “Try like this,” he said, catching her attention and then holding his pork chop still with his fork and using his knife to cut up against the side of the fork.

Rachel obediently changed how she was cutting her pork chop, looking to him after she’d cut a piece off in the way he’d demonstrated.

“Yes, like that,” Severus said. “It’s a similar technique as to what you’d use to cut stiff roots for potions ingredients.”

Rachel nodded again and resumed eating.

“Are you having any problems in any of your classes?” he asked between bites of his own dinner.

Rachel shook her head.

Minerva had come to him again, lamenting that while Rachel’s essays and test scores were good, she was falling further and further behind magically. Severus had assured her that he shared her concern and that treatment was being provided.

Severus searched for topics that he could talk to her about. Complaining about his students was out. He certainly couldn’t talk to her about the situation with Quirrell. She would undoubtedly be bored if he started talking about the latest articles in Brewers Monthly. “I understand you have an inter-House study group?” he settled on.

Rachel nodded again, spearing her carrots one by one.

“You’re still attending the study groups in the common room?” he asked, though he would have heard by now if she was skipping them.

Rachel nodded, looking briefly at him before returning her attention to her plate.

“That’s good. Having extra study time is a good habit and will serve you well once you start taking extra classes in your third year,” Severus said.

He was now out of things to say until he addressed the question Rachel had written. He had been dreading it ever since he saw it, but he knew it had to be done. She needed to know why people called her the Girl-Who-Lived, before she got the information from a less reliable source. Severus couldn’t believe Albus had left the matter this long, though he suspected Albus simply hadn’t realized that Rachel had no way of knowing. Severus hadn’t realized either.

They finished their meals in silence and Rachel ate a small bowl of rice pudding for dessert while Severus finished his wine.

“Let’s go over to the couch,” Severus said.

Rachel watched him, her gaze cautious yet curious, and followed him over to the small sitting area by his fireplace. She sat down on the couch and Severus sat down in his armchair across from her.

“You asked at the end of your essay why you’re called the Girl-Who-Lived,” Severus started, wondering exactly how much of this he was supposed to tell her. “Do you know how your parents died?”

Rachel shrugged and then shook her head, which Severus took to mean she knew some but not the details.

“Do you know who Lord Voldemort is?” Severus asked.

Rachel shook her head.

“Alright. Lord Voldemort is a dark wizard who believes in blood purity. I’m sure by now you’ve heard your Housemates discussing their blood status,” he said.

Rachel nodded.

“In some pure-blooded circles there is an attitude of superiority. They believe they are better than half-bloods or muggleborns, and that wizards shouldn’t marry muggleborns or muggles. There became a rift in wizarding society, and then a war. The Dark Lord led a group of people called Death Eaters, those who believed in blood purity and were willing to attack and kill other people to get their way. Professor Dumbledore and the Ministry worked in opposition,” Severus explained, his hand going to his Dark Mark beneath his sleeve automatically.

“Your parents joined Professor Dumbledore as part of a group that fought against the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. After a while, because they were targets, they had to go into hiding. They were betrayed and the Dark Lord found them, when you were just a baby. He used the Killing Curse on your mother and father. The Killing Curse is unblockable, shield charms are useless against it. It causes instant, painless death. The Dark Lord then went to kill you, but somehow you reflected the Killing Curse back at him, causing him to die. The curse gave you that scar on your forehead,” Severus continued. He paused and looked at Rachel. She seemed concerned but otherwise not upset.

“The remaining Death Eaters went into hiding and the war ended. You are largely credited with ending the war. However, there are two things you should know. First, Professor Dumbledore and I believe that the Dark Lord is not entirely dead. We believe he is out there, biding his time to return. This theory is not widely accepted, wizarding Britain would much rather believe the Dark Lord is gone for good,” Severus finished. He took another breath and convinced himself that it was better to do this now rather than later. “The other thing you should know is that I was a Death Eater in my youth. It is something I regret greatly. I defected and joined Professor Dumbledore’s group and spied on the Dark Lord.”

Rachel showed no more reaction to this than she had to the rest of the information he had just given her.

Severus supposed that she had little context for any of it. She couldn’t understand the fear that just the name Death Eater had brought back in those days, and the fear it still conjured now in those old enough to remember.

“If you have any more questions, or if you’d like to know more about your parents, you can ask me,” Severus said when the silence had gone on too long.

Rachel nodded.

“Are you ready to return to your common room?” he asked, worn out by the day, mostly by the last five minutes.

Rachel nodded again.

Severus escorted her out of his quarters and office, went back to his armchair, and summoned a glass of Firewhisky.

*****

Rachel sat on her bed with two books open around and a blank sheet of parchment she’d planned to use to take notes. She had a headache and a very strange shivery sensation that had come over her as she read.

After hearing Professor Snape explain what had happened to her parents, Rachel had gone to the library the next day and searched for books that might give her more context for what had happened. Hermione had found her looking at recent history books and had recommended  _ Modern Magical History _ and  _ The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts _ . Now that she’d read the relevant chapters, she realized that Hermione had known what had happened to her parents, though Hermione probably hadn’t realized that Rachel hadn’t known. Considering how famous she apparently was, probably everyone at Hogwarts had known about her parents before she did.

Although the reading had helped, it still left her with a lot of questions.

Professor Snape had mentioned that someone had betrayed her parents, but neither of the books mentioned that. Who had betrayed them and why?

Why had the Dark Lord - who all the books had unhelpfully referred to as You-Know-Who - come after her parents in the first place? Had they really been that important to the war? Why would the Dark Lord have bothered to try to kill her when she was an infant? Rachel couldn’t imagine that she had appeared threatening in any way.

Why had her aunt said that her parents had been blown up? From the description of the Killing Curse it didn’t sound like it actually blew people up. Maybe whoever had told her aunt that her sister and brother-in-law had been killed simply told them it was magic, and her aunt had assumed anything to do with magic involved blowing things up? A lot of Rachel’s accidental magic had involved things blowing up, mostly the door to her cupboard after she’d been locked inside.

Why had Professor Snape told her that he used to be a Death Eater? When he told her that he had been, Rachel still hadn’t really understood what that meant. Now, after reading some of the descriptions of the campaigns of terror the Death Eaters had waged against wizarding Britain, she had a better idea. The books discussed murder and torture and how the Death Eaters would leave their mark above the houses where they’d been to inspire fear. How could Professor Snape have done those things and still be allowed to be a school teacher?

Why did Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape think that the Dark Lord wasn’t dead? Both of the books had been pretty clear that when the Killing Curse had rebounded off of Rachel that it had killed the Dark Lord. It seemed fairly straightforward, it was the Killing Curse, after all.

Rachel didn’t think she’d find the answer to any of her questions in the library and she didn’t think her friends would know either. She also didn’t think it would be a good idea to write any of these questions down after her essays.

She placed the books on her nightstand to return them to the library tomorrow and rubbed at her temples. Some of the information in the books had been good to learn. She’d learned the date that her parents had died - Halloween 1981 - and that they were considered brave and good people. Even though she’d known since Hagrid’s first visit that her parents hadn’t died drunk in a car crash, it was comforting to see in print that her parents had been good and kind.

On the other hand, it had felt really strange to read that she was considered the savior of wizarding Britain and that everyone knew who she was. In a sense, Rachel felt like she had just barely learned who she was when Hagrid told her she was a witch.

Rachel looked up when the door opened and found Millie coming in.

Millie dumped her bag on her bed. “Are you okay?”

Rachel nodded.

Millie looked at her, appearing both curious and concerned. “I think I’m ready for tomorrow’s revision for our Potions test. Gemma spent some time with me going over ingredient properties and uses.”

Rachel nodded again. She didn’t feel quite as ready, but their study group tomorrow would help.

“You sure you’re okay?” Millie asked, sitting on the end of her bed and looking at Rachel.

Rachel nodded once more, not knowing how she’d write out all of the mixed thoughts and emotions she had broiling inside her.

“Okay, but let me know if I can help,” Millie said after a moment.

Rachel gave her a small smile of appreciation. It was nice to have friends.

*****

Severus put down the essay he was grading and opened his office door to find out who was knocking on it. He looked down and found Millicent Bulstrode, who was peering up at him and holding something that was wrapped in a pillowcase.

“If that is a sick or injured pet, Miss Bulstrode, you are better off seeking out Hagrid or Professor Kettleburn,” Severus said, wondering just what creature she had in there.

She shook her head. “No sir, it’s not a pet. Can I speak to you for a moment?”

“Come in,” Severus said, opening his door wider and standing aside to let her in. “How may I help you, Miss Bulstrode?”

“Um, Rachel told me that you’re her guardian now,” she said, shifting in place as she watched him.

“Told you?” Severus asked. He didn’t dare hope that Rachel had started speaking to her friends.

“Well, she wrote it down and showed me,” she said. “Is that okay? Was it supposed to be a secret? We won’t tell anyone.”

“It’s fine, it’s not a secret,” Severus said. It was somewhat of an open secret. He didn’t know that anyone beyond the staff of Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy, and a handful of people in the Ministry were aware. At the very least, it hadn’t made the presses yet.

“Oh, good,” Millicent said, looking relieved. “Anyway, it’s nearly Christmas, which is why I’m here. Because I thought you might like to know what to get Rachel for Christmas. I don’t think she’s gotten many presents before, she said - well, wrote - that Father Christmas didn’t visit her because she didn’t have parents, when we were talking about presents in our study group.”

Severus nodded. He hadn’t given much thought to Christmas presents, as he typically only exchanged gifts with Albus and Minerva. He wasn’t surprised to hear that Rachel’s relatives had not given her presents. “You said you had a suggestion?” he asked, eyeing the pillowcase again.

Millicent blushed and unwrapped the pillowcase to reveal a battered stuffed toy in the shape of an anthropomorphized bunny. “I know we’re a little old to have stuffed animals, but when Rachel sits on my bed she likes to touch and hold it. I think she’d like to have one like it.”

“Eleven years old is not too old to have or to sleep with a stuffed animal,” Severus said, realizing that Millicent didn’t realize how young she really was. “May I see it?”

Millicent handed over the stuffed bunny and Severus took note of the soft cloth fur, the pink stitched nose, and of its general size and weight.

He handed the stuffed animal back to Millicent, who quickly wrapped it back in her pillowcase. “Thank you for the suggestion. I will see what I can find for Rachel,” he said, also grateful that she had raised the question of presents in his mind at all so he wasn’t left at the last minute trying to figure out what Rachel would like.

Millicent nodded eagerly. “Of course. I just wanted her to actually get presents this year.”

“Five points to Slytherin for being a good Housemate and friend,” Severus said, knowing it was unnecessary but wanting to do it anyway.

Millicent smile. “Thank you sir. Is there anything else?”

“You can go,” Severus said.

He watched as Millicent left and then went back to his desk. He pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment and started a list. At the top he wrote _ ‘stuffed toy bunny’ _ .


	9. Christmas

At Professor Snape’s instruction Rachel had signed up to stay at Hogwarts over the holiday, but her name was the only name on the sheet posted on the noticeboard in the Slytherin common room. On the Saturday morning at the start of the Christmas holiday, Rachel sat on her bed and watched as Millie, Daphne, and Pansy packed their bags to go home.

Rachel was going to miss Millie, and Hermione, and Neville. She’d gotten used to spending the hours between classes and dinner with them in the library, and she and Millie usually hung out together in their dorm or in the common room after they had their House study sessions. She’d also miss going flying with Draco, though she intended to go flying on her own despite the cold weather. There was a good foot of snow outside and she’d gotten used to having wet feet during and after Herbology class. She would have to put a drying charm on the list of things she wanted to look up in the library.

She wasn’t sure what she was going to do during the two week break other than read and fly, though she was planning to go visit Hagrid if he was staying over the Christmas break. Maybe she’d take up residence on the couches in front of the fireplace since none of the older students would be there to claim them.

“Want to walk with me up to the carriage path?” Millie asked, shoving a book in her bag and then forcing it closed.

Rachel nodded.

They left the dorm room together - Pansy and Daphne were still packing - and slowly made their way out of the common room and through the dungeons.

“It’s weird, leaving you here all alone,” Millie said, her eyes fixed on Rachel as they walked. “Did Professor Snape say what you’d be doing during the holiday?”

Rachel shook her head. She didn’t expect they’d be doing anything. Professor Snape would probably be busy doing whatever teachers did during the holidays.

Millie frowned. “Well, Gemma has stayed before, and she said the Christmas feast is quite good, so that’s something to look forward to. And we’ll be back on the fifth, which isn’t so far away.”

Rachel smiled, knowing that Millie was trying to cheer her up. Rachel didn’t know how to explain that this was going to be her best Christmas ever just because she didn’t have to see the Dursleys. She didn’t have to scrub the house in case visitors came over, or help cook Christmas dinner and only get small bits of it, or sit and watch Dudley open a mound of presents on Christmas morning. Compared to being with the Dursleys, loafing around the castle with nothing to do was a luxury. 

They reached the entrance hall where a steady stream of students were leaving through the front doors. Hagrid had cleared a path in the snow out to the path where the carriages waited.

“Rachel, Millie!” Hermione’s voice carried from the top of the stairs.

They looked up and saw Hermione and Neville hurrying down the steps.

“I was hoping we’d find you, I wanted to say goodbye before the holiday,” Hermione said, throwing her arms around Rachel.

Rachel froze, feeling oddly constricted, and managed to pat Hermione on her back before she let go.

Neville waved and Rachel was relieved that he wasn’t going to try to hug her as well.

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Hermione said with a firm nod. “And you’ll probably have the whole library to yourself.”

Rachel nodded. She wasn’t entirely sure why they were all assuming that staying at Hogwarts over the holiday was a bad thing.

“Let’s go out to the carriages then,” Hermione said, looking a little anxious. Rachel knew that Hermione liked to be early for everything.

“You’re walking us out? You’re not wearing a cloak,” Neville asked.

Rachel nodded and shrugged. It was cold but she wouldn’t be out there for long.

They walked out the front doors and Rachel stared at the creatures that were harnessed to the carriages. While they were vaguely horse-shaped they certainly weren’t horses. No one else seemed perturbed by them, so she figured they must be common enough.

“Bye,” Millie said when an empty carriage pulled up in front of them.

“Have a good holiday,” Hermione said, climbing into the carriage.

Neville waved again and followed Hermione into the carriage.

For a moment Rachel thought Millie was going to hug her and she was slightly relieved when Millie didn’t and followed the others into the carriage. Rachel waited for a moment while the carriage pulled away and then hurried back into the castle while shivering.

By the time she got back down through the dungeon corridor and into the Slytherin common room it was almost empty, with only a few stragglers hurrying to finish collecting their things.

Rachel went into her dorm room and collected the book she’d checked out from the library. It was called  _ Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires _ . It was written by Eldred Worple, who had apparently lived with some vampires, and apparently vampires were also a real thing. Rachel was finding it harder and harder to come up with fantastical things that were actually made up.

She settled in on the couch in front of the fireplace and pulled off her shoes. It was kind of nice to have some peace and quiet. Hogwarts was not a very quiet or solitary place. She had just reached the fourth chapter when she heard footsteps. Thinking that whoever had come back had obviously missed the train, Rachel sat all the way up and found herself staring at Professor Snape, who was in relaxed clothes closer to what he wore when he took her to see Torey.

“I thought I’d find you either here or in the library. What are you reading?” he asked.

Rachel held up the book so he could see the title.

“Hardly edifying reading, but it is a holiday,” Professor Snape said.

Rachel wasn’t sure what that meant, but she got the feeling he didn’t entirely approve.

“Since you are the only Slytherin student to remain over the holiday, I do not have my typical House duties to attend to. As such, I am inviting you to stay in my quarters. I have asked the castle to create a room for you,” Professor Snape said.

Rachel felt her stomach drop a little. She should have expected this, though after he had told her to redress in his office she had thought he wasn’t interested. Maybe he just hadn’t wanted other students to be around.

“Would you like to come stay with me?” he asked.

Rachel nodded, because he clearly expected her to do so.

“Why don’t you gather a few things, clothes and such, though you can always come back here if you need something. I’ll wait here for you,” Professor Snape said, sitting down on the couch opposite her.

She shoved her feet in her shoes and went back to her dorm room. There wasn’t much to pack. The clothes Professor Snape had gotten her, her toiletries, and the books that she’d taken out of the library. She slung her bag over her shoulder and went back out into the common room.

Professor Snape led the way back to his office and held the door open for her. He motioned to the spot on the wall that led to his rooms and Rachel went inside, stepping out of the way so that he could follow.

“Your room is back here,” he said, leading her into a small hallway. “The door on the left is my bedroom. I must ask that you don’t enter. If I’m inside and you need something, you can knock on the door. The door at the end of the hallway is my private potions laboratory, it’s locked as it has some volatile ingredients inside. Don’t go inside without asking first. This room on the right is yours. There is a small attached bathroom.”

Rachel looked inside and found a bed, a nightstand, a wardrobe, and a desk with a chair. On the opposite wall was a door that undoubtedly led into the bathroom he had mentioned.

“Is this adequate?” he asked.

Rachel nodded. It was far more than she’d ever gotten from the Dursleys.

“I’ll let you unpack. Afterward, you’re welcome to continue reading your book on the couch,” he said, stepping away.

She hung up her clothes and put her bag and other books in the bottom of the wardrobe. She brought her toiletries into the bathroom and found that although the room was relatively small it had a full sized shower along with a sink and a toilet.

After she was finished unpacking, she picked up the book she’d been reading and went out into the main room. Professor Snape was sitting in his armchair and reading a magazine with a picture of a cauldron on the front. She sat down on the couch and opened her book, even though she found it much more difficult to concentrate here than in the Slytherin common room. She would just have to wait and see what happened. There was no use in doing anything else.

*****

Rachel woke up on Christmas morning, feeling both relieved and confused, and looking forward to the midday Christmas feast. She decided to shower, because you were supposed to be clean on Christmas, and mulled over the situation while she washed her hair. So far Professor Snape had been acting exactly as he had during the dinners they’d had over the past few weeks. He asked her a few questions, but otherwise left her alone. He hadn’t gone into her bedroom, not even once.

She didn’t know what to make of the whole situation. She didn’t know how to predict what Professor Snape wanted. With the Dursleys that had been somewhat easy. They wanted her to stay quiet, stay out of the way, and for her to do all the chores. Professor Snape regularly invited Rachel to his quarters and he hadn’t asked her to do any chores. Rachel didn’t know how things got cooked and cleaned at Hogwarts - food and clean laundry just appeared.

After she dried off and got dressed, Rachel went out into the main room and was surprised to see a pile of presents next to the fireplace and a stocking hanging from the mantle. Professor Snape was sitting in his armchair with a cup of tea and a different potions magazine on his lap. He seemed to read a lot of those.

“Happy Christmas,” he said, looking up from his reading.

Rachel nodded, hoping that her meaning of ‘Happy Christmas to you too’ got across.

“Do you want tea or cocoa while you open your stocking and gifts?” he asked.

Rachel’s eyes darted back to the pile of presents. Those were for her? She’d expected to trade gifts with her friends in the study group, because they’d talked about gifts and what they hoped to get a few weeks ago. This was far too many presents to just be from Millie, Hermione, and Neville though.

“Are you hungry?” Professor Snape tried.

Rachel shook her head. She didn’t think she could eat just then.

“Why don’t you start with your stocking then. Do you need help getting it down from the mantle?” he asked.

Rachel shook her head again and went over to unhook the stocking from where it had been hanging on the mantle. She’d never had her own stocking before. For Christmas, the Dursleys had occasionally given her a couple of coins, though she rarely had the opportunity to spend them. She took the stocking to the couch and sat down, feeling a little overwhelmed.

From the top of her stocking poked out a giant rainbow candy cane. She removed that first and reached deeper inside. She pulled out an orange, a deck of magical playing cards, two pairs of thick wool socks in Slytherin colors, a set of self-inking quills with different colors of ink, and when she turned the stocking upside down a small pile of wrapped toffees and candies fell out.

The contents of the stocking were more gifts than she’d had in her entire life all put together.

“The quills shouldn’t be used on any of your essays or class work, though you may find them useful for drawing or taking notes,” Professor Snape said.

Rachel nodded, feeling odd to be surrounded by presents, with more yet to open. She’d never imagined that Professor Snape would do something like this for her. She really couldn’t predict him at all.

“Do you want to open your presents?” he asked, when Rachel had been sitting still for a moment.

Rachel nodded again and slid down off the couch and onto the rug so that she could reach the stack of presents more easily. She didn’t know where to start. She looked over the gifts and found that most of them were marked with names indicating who had sent them, but a few weren’t. She guessed those ones were from Professor Snape. She picked up one of the unlabeled ones first and carefully peeled back the wrapping paper.

She stared in shock. It was a stuffed bunny, just like Millie’s, though where Millie’s was a light brown, this one was a soft tan color. She pet its ears and gently set it on her lap. Professor Snape must have been able to read minds if he knew that she’d wanted a stuffed animal and how much she had liked Millie’s. She looked up at him and hoped that her expression conveyed her gratitude.

“You like it? It’s the right one?” Professor Snape asked.

Rachel nodded eagerly.

The corners of his mouth lifted in a small smile. “I’m glad you like it. Keep opening your presents.”

Rachel cradled the bunny in her lap and reached for the next unmarked present. It was a pair of black boots. The next one was a pair of thick woolen gloves in Slytherin green. She smiled up at Professor Snape to show him that she liked the gifts. She had a feeling she was going to be much less cold in Herbology and when she went out to fly.

The next gift was wrapped in thick brown paper. She opened and found a wooden flute that Hagrid had probably whittled himself. She held it up so Professor Snape could see.

“From Hagrid, I presume?” he asked.

Rachel nodded and set the flute on the couch where she wouldn’t accidentally put anything on top of it.

The next gift was a thick package done up in red and gold wrapping paper from Hermione. She opened it and found two books. One was  _ The Chronicles of Narnia _ and the other was a hardback book with no name on the spine. There was a long letter with them and Rachel took the time to read it and found out the hardback book was a two-way communication book and that Hermione had its twin. Anything either of them wrote in the book would be visible to the other person.

Rachel felt that this went well with her own gift to Hermione. She had set up a small gift account at Flourish and Blotts that would allow Hermione to pick out a few books she wanted - because it was difficult to know what books she already had - and had sent her an catalogue and instructions on how to use Owl Orders in case she didn’t already know.

Millie had sent Rachel a beautiful planner for the next year and Rachel thought that was very useful. She had sent Millie a package of Sugar Quills, which were her favorite but her mother didn’t like her to have, disguised in a hollowed book so that Millie would be able to keep them a secret.

Neville had sent Rachel a box of chocolate frogs, which Rachel looked forward to eating because she had really enjoyed the one she’d had on the train - which seemed like it had happened forever ago. Rachel had sent Neville a copy of  _ The Master Book of Herbology _ since he had said that it was his favorite subject and he wished he knew more about what was in the other greenhouses.

She received an untangling comb - guaranteed to get through untidy hair smoothly, according to the package - and a set of hair clips from Daphne, and a big bar of Honeydukes Best Chocolate from Pansy. Rachel had given each of them a box of their favorite sweets.

The last gift was wrapped in plain paper and felt very light when she picked it up. She unwrapped it and found a silvery grey piece of fabric that was soft and light to the touch. She picked up the note and read that whatever it was had belonged to her father.

“He didn’t,” Professor Snape said quietly.

Rachel looked up and saw that whatever was in the package had caused him to look quite upset. Maybe he had wanted to receive whatever it was?

Professor Snape pressed his lips together and let out a slow breath through his nose. “That is an invisibility cloak. It belonged to your father. Given that it is very valuable, I suggest you keep it locked in your trunk and don’t let anyone know that you have it.”

Rachel nodded. Regardless of its monetary value, it was valuable to her just because it was the only thing that she had that belonged to her father. She hesitated. Did invisibility cloak mean what she thought it meant? She’d have to try it out in secret and find out.

She carefully set the cloak on the couch and got up. She hurried into her room and picked up the small wrapped present she’d been keeping in her wardrobe. It seemed inadequate now that Professor Snape had given her all of those presents, but it was the only thing she had prepared to give him.

She went back into the main room and nervously held it out to him.

“For me?” he asked, seeming as surprised as Rachel had been to be given gifts.

Rachel nodded.

He neatly opened the package and looked down at the book she had given him. It was a copy of  _ A Wrinkle In Time  _ with a letter she had written him thanking him for being her guardian. She had given some money to Hermione and asked her to purchase and send the book here while she was away for the Christmas holiday. It had arrived just in time.

Professor Snape nodded to himself as he read the letter. “I am glad to be your guardian. I take it you got the idea for the book from seeing my book collection?” he asked, nodding to the small collection of muggle novels on his bookshelf.

Rachel nodded again. She had seen the books and thought he must like at least some fiction and had decided to get him her favorite book. She had read it at the library last year and had fallen in love with it.

“Thank you, I look forward to reading it. Most of those books were ones that your mother gave me. She’d be glad to know that you like to read as well,” he said.

Rachel decided that she was going to take a closer look when it wasn’t so obvious that she wanted to know. She was going to try to read every book that she knew her mother had read.

“Do you want something to eat, or are you okay until the feast?” he asked.

Rachel shook her head.

“Alright. Do let me know if you need anything,” he said, settling back in his chair.

Rachel gathered all of her gifts up and brought them to her room. She couldn’t believe all of this was hers!

Curious, Rachel took the silvery cloak and stepped into the bathroom. She put it on and sure enough her body disappeared. When she pulled the hood up and looked into the mirror it was like she wasn’t there at all. Her father had worn this, just like this.

She went back into her room and wrote a quick note in the two-way book to Hermione, thanking her for the gifts. When Hermione didn’t write back right away, she collected the book, her new colored quills, and a stack of parchment and went back into the main room to begin writing thank you letters.

It had been an incredible day and it was only just after nine in the morning.

*****

Severus sat in his armchair, sipping his second cup of tea for the day. He was looking through the book Albus had given him for Christmas. It was a handwritten journal from the Potions Mistress Wilmot Cheyne from her work in 1542. The book was easily worth two hundred Galleons. While the handwriting was worse than some of his first year students, Cheyne’s experiments provided valuable insight into the creation of modern medical potions.

Albus had very cheerily opened the gift Severus had given him in return, seeming pleased with the crushed velvet purple robes. Severus had flipped through the Gladrags Wizardwear catalogue one evening and had picked the most garish looking robes he could find, knowing full well that Albus would enjoy them much better than a book or a new piece of magical equipment.

Severus and Minerva had exchanged bottles of alcohol, as usual. He had given her a bottle of red currant rum, and she had given him a pure malt whiskey. Later in the week they would have a drink together, as was their tradition.

Rachel was sitting on the couch, busy with her new quills and a stack of parchment. From what Severus could tell, she was writing thank you letters to her friends.

It had been painfully obvious that Rachel was not used to receiving gifts. She had gawked at the pile of presents, looking back to him several times as if expecting him to tell her that she couldn’t have them. Then she had sat quietly while she opened them, her awed expression the only thing that told him that she was enjoying herself.

He was grateful that Millicent Bulstrode had shown him her stuffed bunny as Rachel had held onto hers the entire time she was opening gifts. Clearly the girl had been right in suggesting that it was something Rachel had wanted very badly. She didn’t even seem disappointed that her other gifts from him were practical gifts of clothing.

Rachel had seemed pleased by the books she had been given and had smiled at the numerous gifts of sweets. Severus hoped she was sensible enough not to make herself sick by eating too many at once. He suspected she was, as she hadn’t immediately started eating them and seemed to be saving her appetite for the Christmas feast.

He couldn’t believe that Albus had seen fit to give a mute eleven year old an invisibility cloak. If she used it and got hurt, they would never be able to find her. No eleven year old needed an invisibility cloak, and Severus didn’t feel that way just because James had used it to plan pranks and torment him. In Severus’ opinion, invisibility cloaks should be banned at the school.

He hadn’t had the heart to take the cloak from her - how could he take a Christmas present from a child who obviously hadn’t had Christmas presents before? That wouldn’t stop him from doing so if he found out she was misusing it though. Strangely, he didn’t think that she would. Rachel hadn’t shown any penchant for mischief or rule breaking. In general when she wasn’t in classes, she could either be found in the library, the common room, or her dorm room.

Severus had been a little surprised that Rachel had gotten him a gift at all, and the letter she had written had been sad. She had thanked him for becoming her guardian and again for buying her clothes and taking her to the optometrist. Just one more piece of evidence that she’d had been given very little in her life. He had resolved to read the book she had given him soon. He was curious about what she’d thought he might like, and to be entirely honest, it reminded him of the first book Lily had given him back when they were still children.

Once he was feeling up to it, he planned to explain that Lily had given him  _ The Phantom Tollbooth _ when they were both 10 years old, and ask if Rachel might like to read the copy Lily had given him.

Setting aside a letter, Rachel opened the hardcover book she’d received and started writing inside of it.

Severus blinked back a twinge of pain. He and Lily had kept a two-way book for a while, allowing them to talk privately even though they were in different Houses. He wondered who Rachel was writing to, but was mostly glad that she had friends she was close enough with to warrant the purchase of a two-way book.

It would be strange watching Lily’s child grow up.

*****

They went up to the Great Hall for the Christmas Feast at midday.

Rachel had seen the Great Hall multiple times over the holiday but every time she stepped through the doors she was taken aback again. There were a dozen towering Christmas trees around the room, some with glittering icicles, some with flickering candles, and others done in golden and silver baubles. Garlands of holly and mistletoe hung on all the walls. Taken together with the snow falling from the sky, which disappeared once it fell past the illusion of the ceiling, it was very festive indeed.

Since there were so few of them staying for the holiday, most of the tables had been removed, leaving one big one in the center of the room. It was done up with red and green table linens and the feast had already been set out. Rachel’s mouth watered as she looked at the roast turkeys, the piled potatoes, and the boats of gravy and cranberry sauce.

Professor Snape took a seat next to Professor Flitwick and Rachel sat down on the other side of Professor Snape.

Professor Dumbledore, all of the Heads of Houses, Hagrid, Filch, and the Weasley brothers were in attendance. Rachel recognized the twins as the two who were often serving detention with Professor Snape, and the youngest boy who was in her year and who had been making fun of Hermione. Rachel hadn’t forgiven him yet. From what Hermione said, her only friend in Gryffindor was Neville.

“Would you like to pull a Christmas cracker?” Professor Snape asked her as she finished putting peas, potatoes, and a dinner roll on her plate.

Rachel nodded and was startled by the incredibly loud noise it made. It must have been a special magic cracker because there was a wizard chess set inside, which was bigger than the cracker itself. Across the table, the Weasley twins pulled a cracker and a handful of white mice popped out onto the table, along with a military hat. She slowly got used to the noise, but still found herself flinching every time.

After the turkey came out flaming Christmas puddings. Rachel picked at hers, already overly full from the dinner. The oldest Weasley boy yelped partway through his and then spit out a Sickle. Rachel put her own fork down after that, deciding she wasn’t hungry for dessert.

Professor Snape was deeply in conversation with Professor Flitwick and Rachel looked around the room and saw Mrs. Norris, Filch’s cat, sitting a few feet away. Rachel had seen Mrs. Norris a few times in the hallways, but things had been too busy and crowded for her to get close.

Rachel slipped down onto the floor and held her hand out toward where Mrs. Norris was sitting. She held still and waited, staring into the cat’s yellow eyes. After a few minutes, Mrs Norris slunk toward her and sniffed Rachel’s fingers. Then she ducked her head down and pushed the top of her head against Rachel’s hand. Welcoming the invitation to pet Mrs. Norris, Rachel gently stroked her head and behind her ears. Before long Mrs. Norris was in Rachel’s lap, purring loudly as Rachel pet her and scratched the sides of her chin.

“Well Argus, it seems that Mrs. Norris has made a friend out of Miss Snow,” Albus said, his voice carrying over several other conversations.

Rachel blushed as several people leaned down to look at her.

“Mrs. Norris doesn’t like many students,” Filch said, looking at her appraisingly. “You must be one of the special ones.”

Rachel blushed even harder and focused her gaze on Mrs. Norris so that she wasn’t looking at the people who were looking at her.

“Of course she’s special, she’s the Girl-Who-Lived,” the youngest Weasley said.

“I don’t think Mrs. Norris cares much about that,” said one of the twins.

“Is Mrs. Norris part kneazle?” Hagrid asked.

“No, but she’s just as smart as one,” Filch said, pride in his voice.

Rachel refocused her attention on petting Mrs. Norris. It didn’t matter whether or not she was just a cat instead of a kneazle. Being magic wasn’t the best thing in the world.

*****

On Boxing Day Rachel dressed in her cloak as she had decided she’d had enough of being cooped up in the castle and wanted to go flying on the Quidditch pitch while she had the opportunity.

“Where are you going?” Professor Snape asked, looking up from the book he’d been focused on.

Rachel looked around and then went back into her room to get a piece of parchment. She wrote out  _ ‘I’m going flying on one of the school brooms’ _ in blue ink and then went back out into the main room to give it to Professor Snape.

He read her note and nodded. “I’ll join you. I believe it’s quite windy out there. Go put on your boots and get your gloves so you don’t get too cold.”

Rachel did as he said, though she was more than a little surprised. For some reason she had a hard time imagining Professor Snape going flying. He seemed very orderly, and he was strict in his classroom, and flying just didn’t fit with her straight-laced mental picture of him.

Professor Snape was waiting for her when she came back out with her boots on and her gloves in her cloak pocket. He was wearing all black, including a cloak, gloves, and knee-high boots.

They trekked out of the castle and went to the broom shed, which Rachel opened and then went searching for her favorite school broom. It leapt into her hand from a few inches away while she was reaching for it, and while she grinned she wondered if that meant the broom recognized her somehow or if she had just done non-verbal magic.

Professor Snape selected a broom and picked up a Quaffle. “We’re going on the pitch, I imagine?”

Rachel nodded. The snow was deep out here and after she sunk down up to her knees Professor Snape stopped and made a complicated wand movement. He pointed his wand in her direction and the snow began to melt. It took a moment but the snow was soon only a few inches deep. He made a path for them like this all the way out to the Quidditch pitch.

“I’ll play Quidditch with you, but you’re the one who has to fly down to pick up the Quaffle when we drop it. Agreed?” he asked.

Rachel nodded eagerly, mounted her broom, and took off into the air. She did a quick lap around the pitch and then zig-zagged through the goal hoops. The air was freezing against her face but apart from the way her eyes teared up a little she barely even noticed. Flying was fun!

After she finished flying through the goal hoops she swooped around and flew back over to where Professor Snape was hovering in the center of the pitch. She held one of her arms open and he obligingly tossed the Quaffle to her.

She took off again, flying as fast as the broom would let her and threw the Quaffle through one of the goals before flying through it herself. She then flew down to the ground in spirals and scooped up the ball where it had fallen in the snow and flew back up to Professor Snape, tossing him the Quaffle when he held out his hands.

He caught it neatly. “You do realize it’s a foul for a Chaser to fly through the goal hoops?” he asked.

Rachel hadn’t known that, but she didn’t really care right now. She liked flying through the hoops.

Professor Snape flew away, going slower than Rachel had, and she flew up beside him so he could pass her the Quaffle.

He tossed it to her and Rachel flew a few circles around him until they came up to the goals. She tossed it back and then positioned herself to block his shot.

He moved forward, going toward the left goal, and Rachel flew over to block it, but at the last moment he swerved to the right and threw the Quaffle through the center hoop. Professor Snape had just faked her out!

Rachel grinned and flew down to go fetch the Quaffle. She came back up and pointed at the hoops on the other side of the field.

Professor Snape nodded. “We’ll pass the Quaffle as we go across the field and this time you take a shot on the goal.”

Rachel nodded and threw the Quaffle at him before taking off. He caught up to her about fifteen second later and threw the Quaffle back. Rachel darted around, dodging imaginary Bludgers before flying back to Professor Snape and sending the Quaffle back to him.

He tossed it back once more when they reached the goals and took up position in front of the center hoop.

She looped away, giving herself some more room for the approach. Then she flew directly at the left hoop, but leaning toward the center as if she was going to try to fake him out. He leaned left ever so slightly, but not enough to block her as she threw the Quaffle through the far side of the left hoop.

“Very nice,” he said, smiling at her. “You’d make a good Chaser or Seeker. I don’t think you quite have the arm span to be a Keeper. I’m a little afraid to see what you’d do with a Beater’s bat though.”

Rachel smiled and flew down to get the Quaffle. In some ways, flying with Professor Snape was even more fun than flying with Draco.

*****

As they walked up the path that led to the entrance to the castle, Severus noticed that Rachel was shivering. He pulled out his wand and cast a warming charm on her cloak.

“Any better?” he asked.

Rachel nodded vigorously.

Her face was bright red from flying through the cold air and Severus realized that he should have bought her a hat. He decided to order one from Gladrags at his earliest convenience since Rachel would undoubtedly want to go back out to fly again, despite the cold weather.

Just outside the main doors, Severus cast a drying spell to make the snow drop off their shoes, and then cast two more at where the snow had gotten the bottom of their cloaks and trousers wet. Rachel smiled at him as she pulled open the door and slipped inside.

Severus followed her inside, intent on having a cup of warm tea by his fireplace. These thoughts were immediately interrupted by Albus appearing at the top of the staircase.

“Severus. Rachel. Out having a snowball fight, perhaps?” Albus called to them.

“Quidditch,” Severus called back, coming to a reluctant stop.

“Ah, of course,” Albus said as he made his way down the steps. “Rachel, are you planning to try out for the Slytherin House team next year?”

Rachel nodded.

“James was an excellent Chaser in his day. I’m sure you’ll do well when you try out for the team,” Albus said, smiling benevolently.

“Rachel, why don’t you go have a shower and put on some warm clothes,” Severus said, wanting to cut short the reminiscing about James Snow’s school days before Albus started telling Rachel what a good person James had been.

Rachel nodded again and walked away toward the dungeons.

“How is she coming along, Severus?” Albus asked, his smile slipping away.

Severus thought back to her nervousness on Christmas morning and the curious looks he occasionally found her giving him. “As well as can be expected, I think. She’s not speaking to anyone yet, but she has begun to write things down for me, and for her friends as well.”

“Walk with me, up to my office?” Albus suggested. They began to climb the staircase. “What about this Healer you’ve been taking her to see? Are they able to help?”

Severus felt his upper lip twitch as he fought back a scowl. “We cannot fix ten years of damage overnight, Albus. This is going to take time. The other professors are satisfied with her work. The only thing she isn’t able to do is cast spells.”

“One of the most important things we teach at this school,” Albus said steadily. “And it’s not just about being able to cast spells, as important as that is, it’s about her making friends and connections.”

“She has friends. She received a number of gifts from them on Christmas morning,” Severus said.

“You think they don’t simply pity her, or want to curry favor with the Girl-Who-Lived?” Albus asked as the stone gargoyle guarding his office stepped aside for them.

“At the very least Millicent Bulstrode doesn’t pity her or want her favor. She’s quite protective of Rachel. From the names on the gifts she received, it seems Granger and Longbottom are also friends of hers. After having them in my class, I don’t believe their friendship is out of pity or an attempt to gain favor,” Severus said, standing a few steps below Albus as they rode the winding staircase.

“Longbottom? She’s made friends with Frank and Alice’s boy?” Albus asked.

“That seems to be the case, yes,” Severus replied.

They reached the end of the staircase and the door to Albus’ office opened for him automatically.

“That’s good, that’s very good,” Albus said as he went to sit at his desk. “Tea?”

“Yes, please,” Severus said as he sat. He could still feel the chill from being outside.

Albus rang a small gold bell and a House Elf appeared next to the desk.

“Tea, for myself and Severus, please,” Albus directed.

“On its way sirs,” the House Elf squeaked and then disappeared. A few moments later a tea tray appeared on Albus’ desk. They took a moment to serve themselves.

“So this Mind Healer cannot help her speak?” Albus said after he had taken a sip of his tea.

“It will take time. Based on records from Rachel’s muggle school, she hasn’t spoken in almost three and a half years,” Severus repeated. “We cannot expect her to simply start speaking again, especially not without specialized help.”

Albus nodded slowly. “I paid a visit to Petunia, to get her to sign the forms relinquishing custody of Rachel. She was quite eager to sign.”

“I imagine she was. After it was made clear to her that she had no place in the magical world, Petunia scorned anything magic, especially Lily. She undoubtedly did the same to Rachel,” Severus said.

“Yes, it seems so,” Albus agreed. “I looked into her mind while I was there and discovered a number of troubling things. They were keeping Rachel locked in a cupboard. That’s where she lived while she was there.”

Severus set down his cup of tea as he realized what Albus meant.

“Have you tried using legilimency on Rachel? Perhaps she could communicate with you in her thoughts?” Albus asked.

“I have already tried,” Severus said stiffly. “She is apparently a natural occlumens. Her defenses seem quite sturdy, though I did not attempt to break them out of fear of potentially damaging her mind.”

Albus’ eyebrows raised. “Why did you not tell me this before?”

“Why did you not tell me that you had visited her relatives and had discovered that she was being kept in a cupboard?” Severus shot back, at the end of his patience.

“And what would you have done with that information?” Albus asked, unfazed.

“Used it to guide my actions with her. Told her Mind Healer so she could help her. It certainly would have changed how I invited her to live in my quarters for the holiday. No wonder she looked worried, she probably thought I was going to lock her up somewhere,” Severus said, scowling deeply.

“I see,” Albus said. “I think for the time being we should continue with our current approach. Hopefully the Mind Healer will help her speak.”

Severus sighed. Albus didn’t realize that Rachel not speaking wasn’t the end of the damage that had been done. “Thank you for the tea. I’m going to go check on Rachel,” he said stiffly as he stood.

“Of course, Severus. Keep me updated,” Albus said, watching Severus with sad and knowing eyes as Severus turned to leave.

Albus Dumbledore knew a lot of things, but when it came to Severus - and Rachel - Severus felt he could be remarkably short sighted.


	10. Necessary Conversations

“Good morning, Rachel,” Torey said as Rachel sat down on the couch. “Did you have a good Christmas?”

Rachel nodded. This was the first time she’d seen Torey in two weeks, since Torey had been away just before the Christmas holiday.

“That’s good. I did too,” Torey said, smiling at her. “I was thinking maybe we could color today? Or do a jigsaw puzzle maybe? What do you think?”

Rachel shrugged and fidgeted on the couch. She felt she was too old of either of those things, and probably too old for the other games Torey played with her. Torey didn’t seem to mind playing kids games though.

“How about we work on the fuzzy poster we’ve been coloring together?” Torey asked.

Rachel nodded because that was as good as anything else. She moved so that she was sitting cross-legged on the floor while Torey got out the poster and markers. The black parts of the poster were soft, like fabric, and there were white spots that you could color in. The poster was of a magician surrounded by magical items, like a crystal ball, some spell books, and a rabbit. The wand in his hand was giving off sparks.

While Torey was joining her on the floor, Rachel dug into her jeans pocket and pulled out the scrap of parchment that she’d written on this morning before leaving Hogwarts. She pushed it across the table and then picked up the purple marker to start filling in the wizard’s robes. Although she kept her gaze mostly on the poster, she carefully watched and listened to see if Torey would have a reaction to the question she’d written down.

She couldn’t ask anyone else this. She didn’t think that Millie and Hermione would understand. Neville certainly wouldn’t because he was a boy. And she couldn’t ask Professor Snape.

Torey set the note back down on the table and picked up one of the markers. “Is that something you’re worried is going to happen?” she asked, her voice calm and steady.

Rachel hunched up her shoulders in a shrug and focused on moving the purple marker back and forth.

“Is there someone specific that you think might want to have sex with you?” Torey asked, relaxed like she was asking about the weather.

Rachel shrugged and then nodded once.

“Do you think you could write down that person’s name?” Torey asked.

Rachel quickly shook her head no.

“Is there something specific that this person has said or done and after that you thought they might want to have sex with you?” Torey asked, putting down one marker and then picking up another.

Rachel thought about that. When Severus had first had her alone in his office, she thought that was why he had asked her to go in there. But he had seemed upset and had magically done up her shirt. Then, when he asked her to stay in his quarters, she had thought that was when he wanted to have sex with her, but he hadn’t even touched her in passing.

“Before you went to Hogwarts, were you concerned that someone might want to have sex with you?” Torey asked when Rachel didn’t respond.

Rachel nodded and moved on to coloring the wizard’s sleeve.

“Has anyone ever touched you in a way that made you uncomfortable?” Torey asked gently.

Rachel nodded again, taking a brief peek at Torey before refocusing on her coloring. Torey had looked as she usually did, like they could be talking about anything.

“Do you feel that the way they touched you was sexual?” Torey asked.

Rachel nodded. It was difficult to be more sexual than having sex, she figured.

“Do you know what consent is, Rachel?” Torey asked.

Rachel jolted slightly at the click of Torey putting down a marker. She nodded. Consent was when two people agreed with each other to do something.

“Good, then you know that consent means that you’re voluntarily giving someone permission to do something, or to do something with them,” Torey said. “When it comes to having sex, or doing anything sexual, it’s important for both people involved to give consent. When one or the people doesn’t consent, that’s considered sexual assault or sexual abuse.”

Rachel fidgeted with her marker and went back to the easier section on the main portion of the robes.

“Another thing to know about consent is that kids can’t give consent. You have to be at least sixteen years old in order to legally give consent to have sex,” Torey explained. “You didn’t do anything wrong and it’s not your fault that it happened to you. The person who touched you sexually was not supposed to do that and the blame lies with them.”

Rachel was pretty sure that Torey wouldn’t be saying that it wasn’t her fault if she knew what had happened. There was just no way for Torey to understand. Rachel reached for one of the spare pieces of paper on the coffee table that she’d been told she could use and she wrote out  _ ‘But how do you know when they’re going to have sex with you?’ _ with her marker and pushed the sheet of paper across the table.

This time Torey frowned, just a little bit. “That depends, I suppose. Sometimes they will say sexual things, or make a point of touching you on your arms, or your legs, or your face. They might try to get you to sit on their lap. Sometimes people are assaulted without any warning from the person who is attacking them. Is anyone at your school making comments that worry you, or do they touch you in a way you don’t want them to?”

Rachel shook her head. Professor Snape had been nice. Distant, but nice. She didn’t know how to explain to Torey that men, when they got you alone, would have sex with you. It seemed like something Torey should already know because she was an adult.

“If you are concerned about something that someone is saying or doing, do you think you could let me or Professor Snape know?” Torey asked.

Rachel shrugged. It would kind of be awkward to flat out ask Professor Snape when he was going to have sex with her and Torey didn’t seem to know the answer.

“It’s important, because we both want you to be safe. If it’s at all possible, we want to stop anyone who is hurting you or who might hurt you,” Torey persisted.

Rachel nodded. That would be nice. She just didn’t think it was really possible.

“Okay,” Torey said, sounding slightly relieved. “I would like to let Professor Snape know that we had this conversation. Is that okay with you?”

Rachel thought about it and then nodded. It seemed like the most direct way to solve the problem.

“I’m glad you’re okay with that. I know Professor Snape wants to help keep you safe too,” Torey said.

Rachel wasn’t entirely sure what keeping her safe meant in this context, but she was glad that Torey seemed happy with her.

***** 

Severus stood up as Torey’s door opened.

“Severus, come in,” she said, meeting his eyes briefly before stepping back into her office.

He went inside, automatically looking back as she closed the door behind him, and he took a seat on one of the chairs. He waited until Torey was sitting down next to her desk before he spoke. “You wished to speak with me?” he asked, thinking of the short letter she had sent by owl on Saturday night.

“Under most circumstances, with certain exceptions, I prefer not to detail sessions to parents or guardians. I find that disrupts building trust with the child. I did ask Rachel if she was okay with me speaking to you about what she and I had spoken about on Saturday, and she nodded, but I don’t know that she was truly in a sound frame of mind to be making that decision,” Torey explained, her expression uncommonly grim.

“Yet you contacted me regardless,” Severus said. “You obviously felt there was something I needed to know.”

“Yes, in order to keep Rachel safe, I think it’s important we talk about this, and that you should have a conversation about it with her as well,” Torey said. She picked up a file from her desk, took a scrap of parchment out of it, and leaned over to hand it to Severus. “Rachel handed me this at the start of our session.”

Severus looked at the note. It was Rachel’s handwriting written in green ink.  _ ‘How do you know when a man is going to have sex with you?’ _

“It seems to be worrying her a great deal. I asked if someone at Hogwarts was doing or saying anything that made her uncomfortable and she shook her head no. However she did nod when I asked if someone had touched her sexually in the past. I’m not sure if she’s worried based on her past experiences or if there is someone at Hogwarts she is specifically concerned about, but the way she phrased the question concerns me,” Torey said, taking the note back from Severus when he passed it to her.

“I think I can answer at least one of those questions,” Severus said. He could feel the start of a tension headache at his temples. “I believe she is concerned about me. She seemed worried when I invited her to stay with me over the holiday, which I had recently come to believe was because while she stayed with her relatives she was kept in a cupboard. But, in retrospect, this makes more sense. The first time she was alone with me in my office she began to take off her clothing. I stopped her and told her that nothing like that would happen with me and that I wouldn’t hurt her.”

Torey paused, frowning as she took all of that in. “I have a few questions about that. She was kept in a cupboard? Is that something she wrote down to tell you?” she asked, picking up her notepad.

“No. Our Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, went to Rachel’s relatives to get their signature for relinquishing their rights as guardians. While there he performed legilimency on Rachel’s aunt and found that they were keeping Rachel locked in a cupboard as a matter of due course,” Severus explained.

Torey nodded as she took notes. “While I certainly have objections to his use of legilimency on muggles, that aside, did he say anything else about what he’d discovered?”

“No, though I can inquire if you think it’s necessary,” Severus said. He wasn’t looking forward to that conversation with Albus.

“No, not at this time, at least,” Torey said, putting down her notebook. “Do you feel fairly certain that Rachel’s primary concerns involving sex are with you, or is there a possibility that an older student or another teacher may be making advances on her?”

“There’s always a possibility, but based on her behavior I think her concern is about me,” Severus said as he discreetly touched his temple. “I often find her watching me and appearing apprehensive. I had thought that was due to the way her relatives had treated her.”

“It’s probable that’s at least part of the reason. I’ve noticed during Rachel’s sessions that she’s very aware of where I am and how distant I am from her. She watches my hands if I move them. None of that is uncommon in victims of abuse,” Torey said. “It worries me that her immediate response to being alone with you for the first time was to undress. That suggests that she’s been taught that men view her as a sexual object and that she should allow them to do whatever they want to her. That’s something you’d see in a situation of long term sexual abuse where the victim has been isolated.”

Severus nodded ever so slightly. He didn’t quite know what to think, apart from his simmering rage at Rachel’s relatives. “I would imagine that being silent for three years amounts to the necessary isolation. What would you advise me to do?”

“Sit down and have a conversation with Rachel. I’ve already talked to her about consent and about how children are too young to consent. Reinforce that message with her. Tell her that you’re not going to do anything sexual to her and that it would be wrong for anyone to do something sexual with her because she’s a child. Talk about how when something sexual is done to a child, that it’s not the child’s fault. She didn’t do anything wrong. Encourage her to tell you or me if someone is saying anything sexual to her or if she’s worried that someone will try to do something sexual with her,” Torey explained.

“I understand,” Severus said. He could see that the conversation was necessary to protect Rachel, and that this is what he’d signed up for when he’d asked to be her guardian, but this was completely outside of his comfort zone.

“This is something that’s going to take time. She’s not ready to discuss what’s happened to her, she was barely able to look at me during our last session, but that’s something we can approach when she’s more comfortable with both of us. If you do find her bringing up things from her past, try to be neutral and just listen. Tell her that people should not have done those things to her, and that it wasn’t her fault,” Torey said, sitting back in her chair.

Severus nodded. He thought they were a long way off from Rachel talking about her past to either of them. “Thank you, for the advice. Anything else?”

“Feel free to contact me if you have concerns or questions. For children, therapy involves both the act of going to therapy and having that behavior reinforced by their parents,” Torey said.

He bowed his head and stood up. “Thank you. If that’s all?”

“That’s all. Let me know if you need anything,” Torey said.

Severus left and decided that he was going to go sit in the Hog’s Head for a bit before he went back to Hogwarts. He needed some time to think and to prepare himself.

*****

Monday had been a slow day and Rachel was longing for her friends to come back to school. She had spent the morning writing in her two-way book with Hermione, who had told her all about her Christmas and the books she’d gotten at Flourish and Blotts and how festively Diagon Alley had been decorated.

After lunch Professor Snape had left after saying that he had a meeting to attend. Rachel had bundled up and gone flying. While flying was still fun and she made good use of the Quidditch pitch, throwing the Quaffle through the goal hoops wasn’t as entertaining when there was no one to fly with her.

She had taken a shower when she got back in and she tried out the comb that Daphne had sent her. It was pretty incredible to be able to comb through her hair easily and painlessly. She had tied her hair back and then went to sit on the couch with a book. She was trying to finish  _ The Chronicles of Narnia _ before classes started again.

She was about halfway through  _ Prince Caspian _ when Professor Snape came through the wall from his office. His face was red, like he had just been outside in the cold air. He hung up his cloak on the coat rack and came to sit down in his armchair.

“Was your afternoon alright?” he asked, looking directly at Rachel.

Rachel nodded and held up the book she was reading to show what she’d been doing. Professor Snape didn’t need to know that she’d gone flying.

“Good,” he said. “I’m going to order some tea. Would you like some?”

Rachel nodded again. Despite her shower and sitting by the fireplace she was still feeling a little chilled.

Professor Snape got up from his armchair and used the floo to call the kitchens. A moment after he sat back down a tea tray, with a teapot, two teacups, a creamer filled with milk, a small sugar bowl, and some chocolate biscuits appeared. “Come get a cup and some biscuits,” he said, pouring tea in both cups.

Rachel slipped the scrap of parchment she’d been using as a bookmark into the book and went to collect her cup of tea, adding both milk and sugar. She put two biscuits on her saucer and went back to the couch.

“We need to talk,” Professor Snape said, holding his teacup and saucer on his lap.

Rachel immediately felt panicked. What had she done wrong?

“I met with Torey today, and she told me that you have some concerns,” Professor Snape continued, looking up from his teacup and focusing on Rachel. “I can understand that those concerns are because of things that have happened to you in the past.”

There was a long silence and Rachel watched as he sipped his tea. She hadn’t realized that Torey had talked to him so soon, or that he’d be so upset by the conversation. This wasn’t his usual type of upset, like when someone made a mistake in his classroom, but she could see the pinched lines at the corners of his eyes and the way his jaw clenched when he put his teacup back on the saucer.

“I don’t know how to tell you so that you’ll believe me, but I am in no way sexually interested in you,” he finally continued. “I will never touch you sexually. You are a child and no adults should engage with children sexually. It is wrong and it’s against the law, both in muggle and in wizarding cultures.”

Rachel blinked and looked down at her own tea. She wasn’t entirely sure she believed him. She didn’t think he was lying, but she also didn’t know what he wanted from her if it wasn’t sex or money. She didn’t really have anything else.

“The way that your relatives treated you was abominable, but they are not normal,” he said, his jaw tightening again.

Rachel blinked. Aunt Petunia would have been very upset to hear someone like Professor Snape call her not normal. In Aunt Petunia’s world Professor Snape would have been the epitome of not normal.

“What was done to you isn’t your fault, but I want to stop it from happening again,” Professor Snape said, setting his half-full teacup back on the tray. “If anyone at Hogwarts is bothering you, or if they say something that makes you uncomfortable, or touch you in a way that makes you uncomfortable, I want you to write it down and give it to me or Torey. It’s very important that you do that. Do you understand?”

Rachel nodded. She could see that he was being absolutely serious. She could guess that he was using ‘uncomfortable’ to mean that if someone talked to her about having sex or tried to touch her sexually.

Professor Snape sighed. “I just want to keep you safe. Do you understand?”

Rachel nodded again, feeling strangely nervous. Both Torey and Professor Snape were oddly intense about this topic.

“Drink your tea,” he said, nodding to her untouched teacup. “And if you have questions or worries about anything, write them down so I know.”

Rachel nodded and took a sip of her tea. It didn’t take long for her to finish her tea and the biscuits, and since the conversation seemed to be over she took her book and went to go sit in her bedroom. She didn’t think she’d ever understand Professor Snape, but maybe that was okay.

*****

The week had passed by slowly. Rachel had gone flying a few more times, explored some of the castle, had finished  _ The Chronicles of Narnia _ , which she quite liked but felt sorry for Susan, and done all of the homework assigned over winter break, although there hadn’t been much to begin with. She’d also gone to the library a few times to look for Nicolas Flamel, but hadn’t had any luck. She was starting to wonder if there was a spell that could make people disappear entirely, including any mention of them in books or records.

Rachel was sitting on her bed in Professor Snape’s quarters and had her two-way book open to where she and Hermione had been writing additional pieces of information for their Transfiguration essays. She opened the chocolate frog that she’d taken out of the box earlier. She’d already eaten one that week and had gotten a Circe card.

She grabbed onto the frog to keep it from jumping away and pulled the card out of the package. She immediately dropped the frog, which leapt across her room.

Rachel put the card on her book, her mind buzzing with excitement, and managed to corner the frog by her wardrobe. She caught it and brushed it off, but it seemed clean. Despite being an enormous castle, Hogwarts stayed very clean. Aunt Petunia would have been impressed.

She returned to her bed, switched the frog to her left hand and began to copy the contents of the frog card into her two-way book.

_ Nicolas Flamel _

_ Perhaps the greatest alchemist in wizarding history, Nicolas Flamel is the only known creator of the Philosopher’s Stone. Using the Philosopher's Stone, he also created the Elixir of Life which allows the drinker to live indefinitely as long as they continue to drink the Elixir. _

Her words were slightly blotted as she quickly copied the text on the card, but she figured they were still legible. Since her frog had stopped moving, she took a bite while she waited for Hermione to reply.

_ ‘You found Nicolas Flamel! Where?’ _ Hermione wrote back about a minute later.

Rachel grinned, knowing that Hermione would expect her to have found Flamel in a library book.  _ ‘On a chocolate frog card,’ _ she wrote, taking another satisfied bite of her frog.

Hermione took a few moments to respond. _ ‘Of all places, a chocolate frog card! Well, I suppose it’s better than not finding him at all. Let’s meet in the library after class on Monday and go through what the library has on alchemy. I’m really looking forward to coming back to Hogwarts. I miss classes and our study group. And the library!’ _

_ ‘I miss classes and our study group too,’  _ Rachel wrote out.  _ ‘I’ll be glad when you’re back.’ _

_ ‘I’ll write to you tomorrow, my mom is calling for me. Goodnight,’ _ Hermione wrote.

_ ‘Goodnight,’  _ Rachel wrote back and she closed the book. She was very grateful Hermione had sent the book. It was nice to be able to talk with someone, especially since it was in writing and no one was watching her while she wrote.

She finished her chocolate frog and looked at the card again. Nicolas Flamel had appeared on the front. He looked incredibly old and frail, but his eyes were very alive as he looked out of his picture. Flamel raised his hand and waved at her.

Rachel blinked and then waved back, because it seemed polite. At some point she needed to figure out how wizarding pictures and portraits worked. They seemed alive, but they couldn’t be, could they?

*****

“Was it okay, having Professor Snape as your guardian over the holiday?” Millie asked.

Rachel nodded. It was Sunday evening, just after dinner, and the Hogwarts Express had arrived only two hours ago. They were sitting on Millie’s bed, Rachel having shown Millie the chocolate frog card. Daphne and Pansy were putting away the things they’d brought back with them.

“What’d he get you for Christmas?” Millie asked.

Rachel hopped up, taking the chocolate frog card with her, and Millie followed her. Rachel pointed out her gloves and boots where she had put them in her wardrobe, and then pulled the covers on her bed back to reveal her stuffed bunny.

“Oh good, I was hoping he would get you something nice,” Millie said. “Thanks for the Sugar Quills, by the way, but most especially for the book. My mom was immediately like, how nice is it for your friend to send you a book, but she didn’t read the note saying what was inside. I’m going to Owl Order more Sugar Quills so I have a secret stash over the summer.”

Rachel smiled. She was glad her present had worked out.

“I mostly got new clothes, but my aunt gave me the latest Horath Bogtrotter book. You’re welcome to read them if you’d like, I brought the whole series back with me,” Millie said as she picked up the chocolate frog card again. “Hermione’s going to have a fit when she sees this. We’re going to have to spend all tomorrow looking up alchemy.”

Rachel nodded. It was starting to get late and she wanted to take a shower before she went to bed. She went to her wardrobe and got out her pajamas, a pair of clean socks and underwear, her toothbrush and toothpaste, and her new comb.

“I’m going to read up before classes. Want to bet we get a quiz in Transfiguration?” Millie asked as she went back to her own bed.

Rachel nodded again. That did sound like something Professor McGonagall would do.

She left the dorm room and went to the first through fourth year bathrooms and found that most of the shower stalls were empty. Each shower stall had a place to change, where towels were hung up, and then a curtain that blocked off the stone shower area. The water was hot as soon as it was turned on and the water pressure was wonderful.

Rachel showered, focusing primarily on washing her hair since it was the part of her that was always messy, and then dried off and changed into her pajamas.

She went out to where there were sinks and mirrors along the front wall and began to comb out her hair.

Daphne appeared with her toothbrush and went to the sink next to her. “How is the comb working out?”

Rachel nodded enthusiastically, hoping that Daphne understood that meant she was grateful for it.

Daphne smiled. “Do you know how to put a plait in your hair?”

Rachel shook her head. The only things she knew how to do with her hair were leaving it loose and pulling it back into a ponytail.

“My mother uses a charm for it, but she also taught me how to do it by hand. Here, turn around,” Daphne said.

Rachel was a little uncertain, but turned around. Aunt Petunia had always pulled her hair hard when she had brushed it.

Daphne began to move Rachel’s hair, but she was gentle. “I think you’ll find that your hair will be more manageable if you plait it while it’s wet instead of sleeping with it loose. If you like the plait I can teach you how to do it yourself, though it’s a little harder to plait your own hair than it is to plait someone else’s,” she said.

Rachel wanted to nod to show that she understood but made sure she held still instead. It felt strange to have someone touching her hair.

“There, pass me your hair tie,” Daphne said.

Rachel reached over to where she’d left her hair tie with her comb and held it out for Daphne to take.

“Look in the mirror, what do you think?” Daphne asked.

Rachel put on her glasses and looked in the mirror. It seemed odd not to have her hair puffed out around her. She put her hand behind her head and felt the plait. It seemed nice and tidy. She nodded to Daphne and smiled.

“Good,” Daphne said, turning back to her own sink. “I’ll show you how to do it later.”

Rachel smiled and reached for her toothbrush. It was nice that Daphne and Pansy were kind to her, even though they weren’t really friends.


	11. The Dragon Egg

On Monday, after their last class for the day, they gathered around their table in the library and Rachel set out Nicolas Flamel’s chocolate frog card for all of them to read.

“It was really good luck that you got this card,” Neville said, flipping the card over to look at the picture.

“Luck,” Hermione said, shaking her head. “I checked with Madam Pince and she said that the alchemy books are in a subsection of the Potions section. We should look for books both about the Philosopher’s Stone and general books on alchemy that might have an overview that includes Nicolas Flamel’s work. Let’s meet back here in twenty minutes.”

There was little point to setting a time to reconvene, as everyone except Hermione went to the potions section of the library. After a short time they arrived back at the table, each with one or two books. Rachel opened  _ Alchemy A to Z _ , while Millie was reading  _ Advances in Alchemy _ , and Neville had  _ The Alchemy Reader _ . Hermione had gotten two thick tomes, both about famous medieval wizards.

They read mostly in silence, each taking notes about what they thought was important, and afterward they passed their notes around the table.

“So I think it’s fairly obvious the package that was in Gringotts and is now being guarded by Fluffy is the Philosopher’s Stone,” Hermione said after they’d finished going over their notes.

“And it’s pretty obvious who would want the Stone,” Millie said.

“Well, anyone really. With it they’d be rich and immortal,” Neville said. “You could do whatever you wanted, basically.”

“True, but go on, Millie,” Hermione said.

Millie looked around to see if anyone was nearby. “You-Know-Who. The book I read said the Elixir of Life is a powerful restorative potion. No one has seen You-Know-Who since the Killing Curse rebounded onto him. What if he’s hiding because he can’t do anything else? What if he needed something powerful to return him to how he was before he got hit with the Killing Curse?”

The thought that the Dark Lord might be coming to Hogwarts was deeply concerning to Rachel. From the way that Neville had turned pale, she wasn’t the only one who was worried.

“If that’s the case then You-Know-Who couldn’t be acting alone. He wouldn’t be able to get past Fluffy if he were that weak. Or maybe he couldn’t even get through the wards around Hogwarts. So it would have to be someone with permission to be on Hogwarts grounds. A student, a teacher, or a staff member,” Hermione said.

“A Death Eater,” Neville said, his expression grim.

“What about someone on the Board of Governors?”

They all looked up and Theo Nott walked over to them.

“Excuse me?” Hermione asked.

“The Board of Governors meets here four times a year. They all have permission to be on school grounds and several of them were suspected of being Death Eaters when the Dark Lord disappeared,” Theo said. “Additionally, I’d like to join your study group.”

“How long have you been listening to us?” Hermione asked, folding her arms.

“Long enough to know the Philosopher’s Stone is in the school being guarded by something called Fluffy and that the Dark Lord is probably after it,” Theo said. “You should probably use a privacy ward or something. But seriously, you’re the best study group in our year, including the Ravenclaws who have two groups but won’t accept anyone who isn’t in their House. You already have an inter-House group and you don’t mind admitting Slytherins. None of the other Slytherins are interested in studying outside of our House study groups.”

“Give us a moment to talk about it, Theo,” Millie said. “Without listening in on us.”

Theo nodded and walked away so that they could still see him standing next to the Defense section, but he probably couldn’t hear them.

“Well, what do you think?” Millie asked.

“I don’t like that he was listening to us,” Hermione said immediately.

“He seems okay. He never makes fun of me in Potions or Transfiguration,” Neville said.

“I think he’s lonely,” Millie said, glancing over at where Theo was standing. “He sits with the other Slytherin boys, but he doesn’t really talk to them.”

“Rachel?” Hermione asked.

Rachel thought about it and then wrote down her response. _ ‘Let’s let him study with us for a while and see how it goes?’ _

Hermione read Rachel’s response and nodded. “On one condition,” she said, waving Theo back over to them.

“How do you feel about muggleborns and half-bloods?” Hermione asked, staring directly at Theo.

“I don’t share my father’s views, if that’s what you mean,” Theo said. “From what I’ve seen while I’ve been here at Hogwarts, blood purity doesn’t match up with intelligence or magical ability. I wasn’t kidding when I said your study group is the best in our year, and you have a muggleborn, two half-bloods, and a pure-blood. Do you have anything against pure-bloods?”

“Not if they don’t have a problem with me,” Hermione said. “We felt you could join us and we’ll all see how it goes.”

Theo nodded and sat down next to Millie. “I think we’re going to have a quiz tomorrow in Transfiguration covering the Flintifors spell before we start on Avifors spell next week. Do we want to revise for that or are we still talking about the Philosopher’s Stone?”

“Let’s revise for the quiz, because I think you’re right, Theo,” Hermione said. “In the meantime, we should all be thinking of who is likely to be helping You-Know-Who get the Stone. I’d like to know more about the Board of Governors.”

“I’d be happy to tell you what I know about them,” Theo said, digging into his bag and pulling out his Transfiguration book. “Let’s start with the etymology and work our way through theory and then effects.”

*****

Two weeks after the Christmas holiday Quidditch season resumed. The weather was still freezing and Severus wore both robes and a cloak with warming charms sewn in. The match was Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw, which was usually one of the least contentious games played all year. Severus was grateful it wasn’t a Slytherin match because then his attention would be even more divided than it already was.

Part of his focus was on the Slytherin stands. Students seemed to think that just because all of the teachers were sequestered in the staff box that they were free to do whatever they wanted in the stands. Every few minutes he used his binoculars to look over the Slytherin stands to check on his usual troublemakers as well as the general mood of the students. Often in the wake of games where Slytherin won there was a backlash against his students from students in other Houses.

Each time Severus checked on the Slytherin stands he made sure to check on Rachel as well. She was bundled up, including wearing the green wool hat he had given her last week, and was sitting with Millicent Bulstrode and Theodore Nott. Theodore Nott was a new companion of theirs and Severus had noted that Theodore could now frequently be seen in their company.

Severus wasn’t entirely sure what to think of that. Ignatius Nott, Theodore’s father, was an extremely loyal Death Eater. It was possible that Ignatius had ordered Theodore to get close to Rachel as part of some plan to hurt or kill her. On the other hand, Theodore was only eleven years old and it was possible that they had simply become friends. Severus could hardly forbid Rachel to become friends with any students who had connections to Death Eaters in their families. It was something for him to keep a watchful eye on at least.

The other part of Severus’ attention was focused on Quirrell. Quirrell had left over the holidays and Severus had no doubt that he had gone to get more instructions from the Dark Lord. Even with Albus watching the floo and Severus’ eavesdropping charms on Quirrell’s office they had yet to find out how Quirrell was in communication with the Dark Lord.

Quirrell continued to stutter and tremble his way through meals at the staff table and Severus hadn’t seen any sign that he was making progress on obtaining the Philosopher’s Stone. However, just because there was no discernable progress didn’t mean there wasn’t a plan being hatched. Quirrell obviously knew about the Cerberus guarding the passageway to the Stone and perhaps the Dark Lord had given Quirrell instructions on how to get past it while they were on holiday.

“And Diggory catches the Snitch in a remarkable dive. Hufflepuff wins, one hundred and ninety points to seventy!” Lee Jordan announced.

Severus stood, grateful for the short game, and walked over to Quirrell. “Quirinus, join me if you would.”

Quirrell looked up, his expression one of stark terror. “Severus?”

“A short walk. I’ll be brief,” Severus said.

Quirrell looked around for someone to save him but the teachers and staff had already started to leave. “A w-walk, in this weather?” he asked, his voice trembling.

“I find the cold quite invigorating. It will do you good,” Severus said, his tone brooking no argument.

“O-of course,” Quirrell said, rising to his feet.

Once they were out of the stands Severus cast a Featherfoot charm on his boots so that he could walk on top of the frozen snow without sinking. Quirrell simply struggled through the snow, seeming oblivious to the wand he carried.

They made it to the edge of the Forbidden Forest and Severus came to a stop. “I know what you’re after,” he said.

“I d-don’t know what you m-mean,” Quirrell stuttered.

“The Philosopher’s Stone. I know who wants it and what you’ve been asked to do,” Severus said directly. “Come with me to Albus. Tell him what you know. We can help you.”

Quirrell shook his head. “This is a-absurd, Severus. I was asked to help g-guard the Stone. Just like you.”

Severus tightened his grip on his wand. “I know what the Dark Lord asks of you. You must resist.”

“The Dark Lord is dead,” Quirrell said, looking away into the trees. “You of a-all people should know t-that.”

Severus followed his gaze. Could the Dark Lord be in the Forbidden Forest? Surely not. Nevertheless, he must raise the possibility to Albus, just in case the wards couldn’t pick up whatever form the Dark Lord was currently in. “Do you know how to get past the Cerberus?”

“Of course not, the Cerberus belongs to Hagrid,” Quirrell said unconvincingly.

Severus caught his gaze and forced himself in Quirrell’s mind only to be immediately rebuffed. He hadn’t known that Quirrell was an occlumens. “Speak to me or Albus if you want our protection,” he said before stalking away and leaving Quirrell next to the forest.

The conversation had been unhelpful, but at the very least he could have Hagrid investigate the Forbidden Forest for any signs that something unusual was lurking within.

*****

By mid-February the snow had cleared up enough that they were able to go see Hagrid without getting completely wet and frozen. On Sunday, after Rachel, Millie, and Theo had a Defense study group in the Sytherin common room with Tilly, they met up with Hermione and Neville and trekked out to see Hagrid. The wind was still cold, but the path to and from Hagrid’s was worn enough that the bottoms of their robes and cloaks didn’t get wet.

“Who’s there?” Hagrid called when Neville knocked at the door, followed by the sound of Fang barking.

“It’s us,” Hermione called back.

Hagrid cracked the door open and peered down at them. “Come on, you lot, before you let the heat out.”

They went inside and Rachel was shocked by how hot Hagrid was keeping his house. Even as Fang leapt up on her she could see that there was a strong fire going in the fireplace.

“How’s school going? Keeping up in your classes?” Hagrid asked as he settled into one of his chairs.

They all squeezed in to sit around Hagrid’s table and began taking off their cloaks.

“It’s going very well, actually. We’re working on turning mice into snuff boxes in Transfiguration, learning the Softening charm in Charms, and we’re about to brew the Wiggenweld potion in Potions,” Hermione said.

“And, with our study group, I wouldn’t be surprised if all of us didn’t place toward the top of our year,” Theo added.

“Good for you,” Hagrid said. “It’s good that you’re making the most of your time at Hogwarts.”

“Hagrid,” Millie said quietly. “What’s that?”

“What’s what?” Hagrid asked, shifting in his chair.

“In the fire,” Millie said.

Rachel leaned around where she was petting Fang and looked more closely at the fireplace. Deep in the fire, beneath the kettle, was what looked like a huge black egg.

“Is that a dragon egg?” Neville asked, looking slightly panicked.

“Well, now that you mention it, it is,” Hagrid said.

Hermione and Theo got up to go get a better look.

“Isn’t it illegal to own a dragon?” Millie asked, looking like she already knew the answer.

Hagrid didn’t respond except to reach and pick up a book off the mantle. “This tells me how to take care of it just fine. It shows you how to recognize different egg types. I’ve got a Norwegian Ridgeback. I’ve always wanted a dragon.”

Hermione returned to the table. “Hagrid, where did you get a Norwegian Ridgeback egg? They’re not native to Britain.”

Rachel blinked. That meant there were dragons that were native to Britain? She thought she might like to see one, one day. From a safe distance.

“At the Hog’s Head. Had a few drinks and played a few rounds of cards with a stranger,” Hagrid said. “Seemed glad to be rid of it.”

“Why would someone just be carrying around a dragon’s egg?” Theo asked, sitting down next to Hermione.

“What did this stranger look like?” Millie asked.

Hagrid looked between the two of them. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. We chatted, had a few drinks, and played cards. He said he was in the business of trading.”

“What are you going to do with the dragon after it’s hatched?” Neville asked.

“I’ll raise it, of course,” Hagrid said.

“How soon is it going to hatch?” Millie asked.

“A few days, or maybe a week, I reckon. Gotta keep it in the heat until then, it simulates the mother breathing fire on it,” Hagrid explained.

Hermione and Theo exchanged glances that made it obvious what they thought of that plan.

Twenty minutes later they walked back to the castle for lunch.

“Okay, is everyone thinking what I’m thinking?” Theo asked.

“That Hagrid’s dragon is going to burn his house down, and probably the Forbidden Forest too,” Neville said grimly.

“That too,” Theo said.

Hermione came to a stop and looked around them. “How about the person who Hagrid had drinks with? If Hagrid could slip up and tell us about Nicolas Flamel when he wasn’t drinking, he could have said how to get past Fluffy to someone while he was drinking,” she whispered.

“And that person could have been working with the Dark Lord,” Theo said equally quietly.

“What do we do?” Millie asked.

“Nothing, yet,” Theo said.

“Nothing?” Hermione asked.

“Well, nothing about the Dark Lord and the Stone. We need a suspect before we try to tell a professor. About the dragon? We should probably do something about that before he gets caught,” Theo said.

“Or before it burns down Hagrid’s house and kills him,” Neville said firmly.

Rachel waved her hand and then nodded. She didn’t have any parchment with her, but she had an idea of what to do.

“Let’s go to the library after lunch and see what we can find out about smuggling dragons,” Millie said, nodding to Rachel.

Rachel sighed and decided her plan would have to wait until they were actually in the library.

*****

That night Rachel went to Professor Snape’s quarters for dinner, as she had been doing every Sunday night for quite some time now. The only thing that really changed from dinner to dinner was the food. Tonight they were having lamb chops and brussel sprouts.

“Do you feel adequately prepared to brew the Wiggenweld potion this week?” Professor Snape asked as he speared one of his sprouts.

Rachel nodded. They had spent their afternoon studying it and she knew the Slytherin study group would go over it again before class on Friday.

“Good, I assume your study group is ready as well?” he asked.

Rachel nodded again. As long as Neville partnered with Hermione he did alright. Rachel had continued to partner with Millie, and Theo often partnered with Draco or Blaise.

“Are your other classes going alright?” he pressed after a moment.

Rachel nodded. She was sure that if she wasn’t doing alright Professor Snape would have learned about it from the other professors by now.

“What about Defense?” he asked, watching her carefully, his silverware paused over his plate.

Rachel blinked and looked up at him. What about Defense? She was doing fine in that class since it was just essays and tests. Their study group practiced some of the spells from the Defense textbook together, Rachel excluded, but Professor Quirrell never asked them to do the spells in class.

“Has Professor Quirrell seemed any different to you? Has he said or done anything odd?” Professor Snape asked.

Rachel shook her head. Her scar still occasionally hurt in Professor Quirrell’s class, but that was nothing new. They had just started their unit about vampires, and rumors in the Slytherin common room said that he’d had a vicious encounter with a vampire in Romania, and that was why he stuttered and smelled like garlic. But both of those things had been true since the start of the school year.

“Very well. If you do notice something odd, please let me know,” he said, turning back to his lamb chop.

Rachel wondered how you would know when something was odd at Hogwarts. She was slowly growing more accustomed to being around magic, but it was hard to tell if something was out of the ordinary when one of your classes was taught by a ghost and your friend was trying to hatch a dragon. Speaking of which - Rachel dug her note out of her pocket and handed it to Professor Snape.

He read it swiftly and set it back down on the table. “I assume you’re not joking.”

Rachel shook her head, her expression serious.

Professor Snape got up and went over to the fireplace. He threw in a handful of floo powder and said “Headmaster’s office”. After the flames turned green, he leaned down and called “Albus, are you there?”

There was a long moment of silence and then Professor Dumbledore called back. “Yes, Severus. What do you need?”

“Could you join me in my quarters for a moment?” Professor Snape asked.

“On my way,” Professor Dumbledore called.

Professor Snape backed away from the fireplace and a moment later Professor Dumbledore stepped out of it, ducking his head to avoid the mantle.

“Ah, Rachel,” Professor Dumbledore said. “How are you, my dear?”

Rachel nodded.

“I see,” he said, gazing at her for a long moment before turning to Professor Snape. “I see that I’ve interrupted your dinner.”

“I apologize for the interruption of your own dinner, Albus, but I felt this needed your attention. It appears that Hagrid has acquired a dragon egg that is close to hatching. If I’m understanding the situation correctly, Rachel’s study group are the only students who are aware of the dragon egg, so if we act swiftly we can prevent the Ministry from taking any legal action against the school,” Professor Snape explained.

Professor Dumbledore smiled. “Ah, Hagrid. His fascination with magical creatures knows no bounds. I’d like to think in another life Hagrid would have been a magizoologist. However, he is far more valuable on my staff. Thank you for letting me know. I’m glad we found out before the dragon hatched, rather than after. I’ll get into contact with Charlie Weasley and see if we can’t arrange transportation for the dragon to his reserve,” he said, not sounding troubled at all.

“Charlie Weasley is a wise choice, as he isn’t likely to alert the Ministry,” Professor Snape agreed.

“Well, I’ll leave you to your dinner. I need to write an owl and then go visit Hagrid. I suggest having the chocolate eclairs for dessert tonight. Good evening to you both,” Professor Dumbledore said before leaving through the floo.

Professor Snape came back over to the table and sat down. “Thank you for telling me about the dragon egg. The situation would have been much worse had the dragon been allowed to grow and get out onto the grounds. Students could have been injured,” he explained.

Rachel nodded and worked on finishing her dinner. It had taken a little bit of effort to convince everyone that this was the best way to go about it, especially since they didn’t know anyone who could take a dragon off their hands. But in the end - and after looking at some books on dragons - they’d agreed that telling a professor was the safest thing to do, even if Hagrid would be sad not to be able to keep his dragon.

“I appreciate that you trust me enough to come to me with things like this,” he said, watching her briefly before turning back to his own dinner.

Rachel nodded again. It was nice having an adult who she could tell things like this to. He hadn’t even been all that upset about the dragon.

After they finished eating their plates disappeared. A moment later dessert plates appeared before them with chocolate eclairs.

Rachel smiled as she dug in. Chocolate was one of her favorite things about coming to Hogwarts.

*****

The next day after classes their study group met once again at their table in the library. Rachel put down a piece of parchment she had prepared in advance and everyone leaned in to read it.

_ ‘There’s a room near the library that no one uses. I found it over Christmas break. It’s dusty and the chairs and tables are stacked in the corner. What if we studied there instead of in the library? That way we could talk about things without worrying that someone will overhear us, and we can practice magic for homework without Madam Pince getting upset.’ _

“What if we get in trouble?” Hermione asked after she finished reading. “We can’t just go claim a room as ours if we feel like it.”

“Well, if a teacher or a staff member tells us we can’t, then we’ll leave,” Theo said. “I like the idea of being able to practice magic and talk about sensitive things without looking over our shoulders.”

Neville nodded. “I’d like to be able to practice spells more. It takes me longer to get them.”

Millie shrugged. “Why don’t we go check out the room and decide if we think it will work? I’m with Theo, it’s better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.”

Hermione hesitated. “Well, I suppose it can’t do any harm to go look at the room and see if it’s practical.”

They gathered their bags and Rachel led the way out of the library and down the Defense corridor. She had gone exploring over Christmas break as she was curious about what was behind the dozens of closed doors that they passed every day. She had only been able to explore a small fraction of the castle, mostly around the library and the dungeons, and many of the doors had been locked.

Rachel opened the third door on the left after rounding the corner and found that it still hadn’t been locked. The room appeared to be a small meeting room and had two wooden tables pushed against the wall and a stack of chairs in the corner. There was a small fireplace and one of the walls had windows that looked out over the grounds. There was a chalkboard and two half-full bookcases on the wall with the door. Everything was covered in a layer of dust and there were some cobwebs in the corners.

“This is perfect,” Millie said, going to the chalkboard. “We could really study here and talk and practice spells.”

Hermione had gone directly to the bookshelves and was skimming the titles. “Well. The door wasn’t locked. And I don’t know of any rules saying we can’t study in the classrooms that aren’t being used.”

“And it’s pretty obvious no one had been in here for a long time, not even the House Elves. We could clean this place up pretty easily,” Theo said, looking out the windows. “And we could use Colloportus to keep the room locked up while we’re not here, that way we’d have it all to ourselves.”

“I like it,” Neville said. He was looking at the stacks of chairs. “This will be a lot more comfortable than the library.

Rachel smiled. She was glad they had liked her suggestion.

“Alright, I’m going to go get a book on cleaning charms from the library, I’ll be right back,” Hermione said, hurrying out the door.

“Let’s move the table and chairs where we want them,” Millie said.

It took all four of them to move the tables into the middle of the room. They put them together to make one long table. Then they carried chairs over around the table. They had enough room to seat ten people. By the time they’d finished moving furniture Hermione had returned.

“So I think the scouring charm will work for most of this, though there is a specific spell for dusting, but we’d need a feather duster for that,” Hermione said, placing the book on the table. “The wand movement is a long S and the spell is scourgify.”

Theo got the charm almost immediately, and Millie got it after a few tries. Hermione worked with Neville for a little longer until he could do it as well and they began to move around the room cleaning up the dust and the cobwebs.

While they worked, Rachel moved the two armchairs that had been tucked into the back corner so that they were around the fireplace and facing the window. It would make a nice reading spot.

“Good idea,” Hermione said. She pointed her wand at the fireplace. “Incendio.”

Rachel smiled as the fire appeared - she was feeling slightly chilled.

Hermione used the scouring charm on the armchairs and moved on to the windows.

Within thirty minutes the room was clean and they sat down around the table.

“We’re all official,” Millie said, spreading out her books.

“And now that we have someplace private to meet, what did Professor Snape say about the dragon egg?” Theo asked.

Rachel got a piece of parchment out of her bag and started to write about the conversation Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore had last night.

“I’m glad they’re not going to get Hagrid into trouble,” Neville said after he’d read Rachel’s note.

“And that they’re taking the dragon to a reserve,” Hermione said with a nod. “Hopefully Hagrid will see that it’s best both for the dragon and for him.”

“Hopefully,” Millie agreed. “What’s first today - Herbology or Transfiguration?”

“My vote is Herbology,” Neville said quickly.

Rachel nodded, she knew that Neville felt more confident in Herbology than he did in any other subject.

“Herbology is fine,” Theo agreed.

“Alright, the care of Wormwood and its uses, sixteen inches,” Hermione read from her planner. “Let’s get started.”


	12. Death Eaters and Cupboards

“You should read this,” Blaise said as Rachel and Millie sat down for breakfast.

“What?” Millie asked, serving herself three pieces of french toast before pushing the platter towards Rachel.

“This,” Blaise said, pointing at the front page of the newspaper.

Rachel picked it up and immediately noticed that the picture on the front page was of the staff table in the Great Hall, with Professor Snape in the center.

Then she read the headline and the article.

_ Former Death Eater Adopts the Girl-Who-Lived _

_ By Rita Skeeter _

_ Faithful readers, I continue to bring you the latest news from Hogwarts. Students say that Rachel Snow, the Girl-Who-Lived and savior of wizarding Britain, has been adopted by none other than Severus Snape, a current Professor at Hogwarts and a former Death Eater. This adoption is surely a surprise to many, especially since Albus Dumbledore - Headmaster of Hogwarts and Supreme Mugwump - has noted on many occasions that Rachel Snow was living happily with her muggle relatives. _

_ This witch wants to know - and I think I speak for all concerned in the wizarding community - why and how did this adoption take place and why was it kept hidden? The adoption certificate on file with the Ministry of Magic states that Severus Snape adopted Rachel Snow on October 10, 1991. If the adoption was in good faith, why was it kept from public knowledge? _

_ I need hardly remind you that in 1981, shortly after the fall of You-Know-Who, Severus Snape was placed on trial for his activities as a Death Eater. Why is a former Death Eater, who was seduced by the Dark Arts, being allowed to adopt the Girl-Who-Lived? Why is Albus Dumbledore, who spoke at Snape’s trial in his defense, allowing the adoption to go forth? Did Albus Dumbledore secretly arrange for the adoption through Wizard Family Affairs? _

_ For details on the 1981 trial for Snape’s Death Eater Activities, see page 3. _

Rachel set down the newspaper and let Millie finish reading. It was a good thing that Professor Snape had told her he used to be a Death Eater before she had to read about it in the Daily Prophet.

“This is all my fault,” Millie said, sounding upset.

Rachel turned to Millie.

Millie had tears in her eyes. “Remember, just after we got back after the Christmas holiday, I asked you how it was having Professor Snape as your guardian. Pansy or Daphne must have told someone, and that someone must have told Rita Skeeter.”

Rachel patted Millie on the arm. She didn’t think it was likely that if Pansy or Daphne had told someone that they realized that it was a secret. Or that it would wind up in the newspaper if they did tell someone.

“Wait, you knew?” Blaise asked.

“You didn’t?” Draco asked, taking a seat next to Blaise. “It took the Daily Prophet long enough to catch up. That was five months ago.”

“You knew?” Millie asked, sounding shocked.

“Of course. My father told me about it over the Christmas holiday. My father and Professor Snape are friends,” Draco said, his tone suggesting that they should know that by now. “Though my father would hardly be so crass as to inform a reporter.”

Rachel looked around and sure enough people were reading the newspaper and then turning to look at her, though some were also craning their heads to look up at the staff table. Professor Snape wasn’t there. It seemed like it was going to be another long day of people staring at her.

*****

“Are you okay?” Hermione asked when they arrived at their study room that afternoon.

Rachel nodded and sat down. People had been staring and gossiping, but at least this time they weren’t calling her a squib.

“I have to say, I do find it odd that Professor Dumbledore allows a former Death Eater to teach at Hogwarts,” Hermione said.

“Key word being former,” Theo said as he took his books out of his bag. “He redeemed himself by becoming a spy. He probably saved lots of lives and at great danger to his own.”

“But the things the Death Eaters did. They murdered people, and tortured them, and raped them. Muggles and witches and wizards,” Hermione said, sitting down next to Rachel. “I don’t know if you can be redeemed from that sort of thing.”

Rachel blinked. It was one thing to read about what the Death Eaters had done in a book. It was quite another to think of Professor Snape actually doing those things.

“Maybe he didn’t do those things,” Theo said. “In the newspaper section about his trial, no specific crimes were linked to him. They just had him on trial for being a Death Eater. Professor Snape is a genius Master Brewer. I can’t imagine the Dark Lord would want to risk him on the front lines of the war. I bet Professor Snape mostly just brewed potions. Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t have cleared his name otherwise.”

Neville shook his head. “I don’t think so. You-Know-Who wouldn’t have wanted someone who wanted to just brew potions. You don’t know what his Death Eaters were like.”

Theo went very still. “What do you mean?”

“Neville?” Hermione asked when he didn’t respond.

“My parents. After the war, the Death Eaters attacked my parents. They used the Cruciatus Curse to torture them to the point of insanity. That’s what Death Eaters did,” Neville said, his voice cracking.

The room fell silent and they all looked away.

“Did they die?” Millie asked quietly.

Neville shook his head. “They’re in the long term care ward at Saint Mungo’s. They don’t recognize me. They’ll be in there for the rest of their lives.”

“I’m so sorry,” Hermione said. “I had no idea.”

Rachel nodded. It was horrible. At least she knew that her parents had likely died with very little pain. The Killing Curse was supposed to be instantaneous and painless. She thought it was better for her parents to have died like that, than it would have been if they’d been tortured and left helpless the way Neville’s parents had been.

“Did they catch the Death Eaters who did it?” Theo asked.

Neville nodded. “Yes. Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband, and his brother. They’re serving life sentences in Azkaban. Any Death Eater who murdered, or tortured, or raped should be in Azkaban,” he said firmly.

“I don’t disagree with you, Neville. But I have to think Theo might be right about Professor Snape. I can’t imagine Professor Dumbledore would allow Professor Snape to work here if he’d done those things. Professor Dumbledore is supposed to be the greatest wizard of our time - how could he overlook a thing like that?” Hermione asked.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like Professor Snape. But I don’t think Professor Dumbledore is always right either. He’s keeping the Philosopher’s Stone in a school when he knows You-Know-Who is after it. That’s not really safe either,” Millie said.

Rachel didn’t disagree. She didn’t want the Dark Lord showing up at Hogwarts and the Philosopher’s Stone seemed set up to lure him there. It didn’t seem safe.

“I suppose that’s true enough,” Hermione admitted.

Theo nodded to himself but didn’t offer any additional thoughts.

“I just wish Rita Skeeter would leave Rachel alone,” Millie said.

Rachel nodded. She wished that too.

*****

It was Saturday evening and they were just finishing their essays on the Mending Charm, which was a relatively recent invention. Of course, in wizarding terms, relatively recent meant in the 1700s.

Rachel grabbed a spare piece of parchment and tore a section off before writing out  _ ‘I’m going to return these books to the library before Madam Pince leaves for the night. Do you want me to take any of your books back?’ _

The others leaned in and read her note.

“Can you take  _ Charming Charms _ back too?” Theo asked, closing the book and pushing it across the table.

Rachel nodded and added the book to her small stack.

“We’ll see you in the common room in a little bit then,” Millie said, looking up from where she was still working on a concluding paragraph.

Rachel nodded and then waved goodnight to Hermione and Neville. She slung her bag over her shoulder and picked up the books she was returning. The hallway back to the library was nearly empty and when Rachel went into the library itself she saw that it was nearly empty as well. Most students liked to take Saturday night off. Rachel didn’t mind studying on Saturday. She’d rather spend the time with her friends than just sitting around.

She brought the books up to the counter where Madam Pince was using her wand to sort books onto various carts.

“Done already?” Madam Pince asked, pulling the books across the counter and tapping them with her wand. “You and your friends go through books too quickly.”

Rachel shrugged and then nodded because it was probably polite to agree with her. They did go through a lot of books now that they had to check them out to take them to their study room.

“Go on then, before you miss curfew,” Madam Pince said.

Rachel nodded again, even though it was Saturday and they still had more than an hour before curfew. She left the library, lost in thought about her plans to go flying on the Quidditch pitch with Draco tomorrow after lunch.

“Cadere!”

Rachel felt her feet get swept out from under her and she fell to the floor.

“Grab her!” another voice called.

Rachel got a quick look at the two boys approaching her. Upper year Gryffindors. She was pretty sure they were the same ones who had cast stinging hexes at her in October. She struggled to her feet, though not in time to stop one of the boys from wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the floor.

“Obscuro,” the first boy said, pointing his wand at Rachel.

Her vision went dark. She was blind, though she could feel something resting against her face.

“Go,” the boy who cast the spell urged and Rachel felt herself being jostled as the boy carried her. 

Rachel squirmed in the boy’s arms but she couldn’t get her arms free and she wasn’t able to twist around to bite him either. She kicked her feet against his legs.

The boy violently shook her. “Do that again and I’ll use Incarcerous to tie you up.”

She fell still. She couldn’t escape if she was tied up and they had to put her down eventually.

“In here, before someone sees us” the boy who wasn’t carrying her said.

The boy carrying her threw Rachel down and she heard a door slam shut before she could roll onto her knees to try and get out.

“Colloportus. Not so special now, are you?” one of the boys asked through the door. “Traitor.”

Rachel could feel the walls closing in on her. She felt around and found stone walls and then the rough wood of the door. She pounded on the door, her breaths coming in short gasps. She didn’t want to be locked in.

“Tell your Death Eater father that we’re coming for him,” one of the boys said.

“Oh that’s right, you can’t,” the other boy said and then laughed.

Rachel kept throwing her fists against the door. They couldn’t leave her in here.

“We’ll come check on you in the morning. If we feel like it,” the first boy said. “Silencio.”

The thumps Rachel’s fists had been making against the door stopped. She knelt and felt up the door until she found the latch and started pulling on it. It had been locked tight.

Her chest hurt. She brought her hands to her face. If she could see maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe it wasn’t completely dark. She clawed at it, feeling her fingernails on her skin. Nothing she did made any difference - her fingers went straight through whatever was over her eyes.

She could feel her heart beating hard and she felt sick. She swallowed hard. She couldn’t be sick in her cupboard. Aunt Petunia hated it when she made a mess.

How long was she going to be locked in here? She never knew. Sometimes it was only a few hours. Sometimes they didn’t let her out until the next morning. Sometimes it seemed like days passed.

She pounded at the door again and clawed at the latch before finally she slumped against the wall and waited. There wasn’t anything she could do.

*****

Severus checked the clock on the mantle as he got up to answer the knock on his office door. It was just past curfew.

He opened his office door, prepared to deal with a problem from a prefect, since they were the only ones who should have been out of the common room after curfew, and was marginally surprised to find Millicent Bulstrode and Theodore Nott waiting for him.

“We can’t find Rachel,” Millicent blurted out before he could ask why they were out after curfew.

Severus immediately felt his muscles tense. “What do you mean?”

“We checked the common room, the first year girls dorm, the girls bathrooms, our study room, and the library,” Theodore said quickly. “No one saw her return to the common room tonight.”

If Rachel had been a habitual rule breaker like some of his students, he would be less worried, but he couldn’t fathom why she’d be out past curfew without her friends. “Where and when did you last see her?” he asked.

“Third floor in the Defense corridor. She was going to return some books to the library and then we were going to meet her in the common room,” Millicent said. “We’ve really looked everywhere.”

“It was just before eight,” Theodore added.

Severus felt a chill. The Defense corridor was where Quirrell’s rooms and office were located. What if the Dark Lord had instructed him to take Rachel when getting to the Philosopher’s Stone had proven impractical? He had to act quickly. “I will find Rachel. Come with me back to the common room.”

They walked back through the dungeons, Millicent and Theodore hurrying to keep up with his quick strides.

“Professor Snape,” Gemma said, approaching them with her wand lit. “We were just doing rounds. I didn’t realize they were out of their dorms.”

“They were informing me of a concern. Go back to your dorms,” Severus told Millicent and Theodore. He waited until they had gone inside before turning to Gemma. “Rachel Snow is reportedly not in the common room or her dorm. Please check the common room and see if she’s inside. Do not ask if anyone has seen her, I don’t want to cause a panic.”

“Yes, sir,” Gemma said, quickly going back into the common room.

Severus went to the portrait of Curbin the Brave. “I need your help.”

“What can I do for you, Severus?” Curbin asked as he got to his feet.

“Rachel Snow, she’s a first year, short, with brown hair and glasses. She’s gone missing and it’s urgent I find her. Use the Slytherin network and find out where she is,” Severus directed.

“I know who Rachel is,” Curbin said. “I’ll go spread the word. Wait for me here.”

“Thank you,” Severus said, watching as Curbin left his frame.

Curbin had been a Slytherin Head of House in the 1790s and had been guarding the entrance to Slytherin House ever since his death. Some thought it odd that his moniker was Curbin the Brave, when bravery was considered a Gryffindor trait. What they didn’t know, and what Curbin didn’t speak of, was that he had died protecting a group of students when a Graphorn emerged from the Forbidden Forest.

Over his years at the entrance to Slytherin House, Curbin had continued his duties by developing a network among the Slytherin paintings to watch out for Slytherin students. When students remarked that it was like Severus had eyes all over the castle, little did they know there were very few places within the castle that the portraits did not see. Severus tended to restrict his requests to Curbin to emergencies, though he checked with Curbin from time to time to see if there was anything he should know.

“She’s not in the common room or her dorm room,” Gemma said as she hurried over to Severus. “I reassured the first year girls that we are looking for her and will find her soon. Millie is quite worried. Should I go look for Rachel? I can get the other prefects to help.”

The last thing Severus wanted was for Gemma - or any of his students - to accidentally wander into Quirrell’s path tonight. “No, stick to your rounds in the dungeons. I have ways of finding students who are out after curfew.”

“You don’t really think Rachel is just wandering around, do you?” Gemma asked. “Sir. I just mean, I’ve never seen Rachel break any rules, and it just seems more likely to me that she’s hurt or needs help.”

“You may be right, Miss Farley, but I don’t want you to be in danger either. If I need help finding Rachel I will ask the other teachers and staff to help me,” Severus said, summoning all the patience he had. “For now, I’m going to ask you not to alert anyone else. If you find Rachel bring her back to the common room. I will check in periodically. Go on your usual rounds.”

“Yes, sir,” Gemma said, her voice still carrying a hint of defiance. She turned and went on her way down the dungeon corridor.

Severus turned back to the portrait to find Curbin waiting. “Feisty, that one. You did good to make her a prefect.”

“Where is Rachel?” Severus asked.

“The librarian Thomas Bodley saw Rachel get accosted by two Gryffindor boys, perhaps an hour ago,” Curbin said, his expression worried. “I’m going to go back out and continue to go through the frames to see if anyone has seen anything else.”

“Thank you,” Severus said, taking off in the direction that would lead him out of the dungeons.

While he was relieved that Quirrell likely wasn’t involved, it didn’t bode well that she hadn’t resurfaced after being attacked. He hurried through the corridors and up the main staircases until he reached the large portrait that hung near the entrance of the library.

“Sir Bodley, I’m told you witnessed a young Slytherin girl being attacked by two Gryffindors. Might you be able to tell me what happened?” Severus asked, addressing the ancient librarian respectfully.

“Indeed, not too long ago. The young girl in question had just returned some books to the library. I often see her visiting the library. She had just passed by my frame when a pair of Gryffindors emerged from the library. One cast a Tripping Jinx at her and then they proceeded to capture her,” Sir Bodley explained.

“Thank you, sir. Did you see which way they went?” Severus asked.

“To the left of my frame,” Sir Bodley said, inclining his head in the direction of the hallway that led opposite of the Defense corridor.

“Thank you,” Severus said again. He held his lit wand high and went in the direction the portrait had indicated. He went more slowly now, prepared for a possible attack. It was likely that the Gryffindor boys had simply returned to their common rooms after abandoning Rachel, but he wanted to be prepared in case they had set a trap using Rachel as bait. After his time with the Death Eaters he simply didn’t leave things like that to chance.

The corridor appeared to be empty. Severus put out his light and pointed his wand directly out “Homenum Revelio,” he said quietly, the spell expanding until it reached the far walls of the corridor. There was no one there. That just left the various doors. There were four unused classrooms, a bathroom, and a storage closet.

He started with the classrooms, silent except for when he needed to check for the presence of other humans. The classrooms were empty, as were the bathrooms. He found the storage closet to be locked and immediately cast a spell to reveal what other spells had been used on it. There had been a Silencing Charm placed over the door, but no offensive or defensive spells. He unlocked the door and opened it, before quickly lighting his wand to peer inside.

Rachel was curled up on a ball on the floor.

“Rachel,” Severus said. His first impulse was to drop down to check on her, but instead he turned to look around him. No one had been summoned by his opening the door. “Rachel, can you get up? Are you hurt?”

She slowly got to her knees and Severus could see that there were bloody scratches on her face and her hands had been bloodied as well.

“Let’s get somewhere safe,” he said, reaching his hand out toward her.

She didn’t react and didn’t stand up.

Severus turned and checked behind him once more. They were still safe but he didn’t know how long that would last. He turned back to Rachel and held his wand closer to her, trying to see what was wrong. He was struck by the fact that her pupils didn’t contract in the sudden light, they were still large.

He extinguished his light and held his wand near Rachel’s face. “Finite incantatem,” he said, and then lit his wand once more. “Can you see now?”

Rachel nodded and got to her feet. She was trembling. She picked up her bag from the floor.

“Let’s go. I want to deal with this as soon as possible,” Severus said.

The Headmaster’s office wasn’t far from here, and if Albus wasn’t still awake then Severus was willing to wake him.

*****

Rachel followed Professor Snape, keeping her eyes on the light of his wand. She was grateful to be able to see again, and grateful to be out of that closet, but she had no idea how Professor Snape had found her. She didn’t even know how long she’d been in there. It had felt like a long time.

Professor Snape definitely seemed upset. He kept sweeping his wand from side to side, like he expected to be attacked at any moment.

She kept as close to him as possible, not wanting to be left behind. She didn’t think he would leave her behind, not after he came out here to find her, but she didn’t want to be left behind by accident either. She didn’t know where they were going - in the dark it was much harder to follow her mental map of Hogwarts.

Before long they came to a stop at the end of a corridor. The light from Professor Snape’s wand illuminated a gargoyle, and Rachel realized they were going to see Professor Dumbledore.

“Licorice Snap,” Professor Snape said. The gargoyle stepped aside. “Watch your step on the stairs, they move.”

Rachel followed him onto the moving staircase and waited as the spiral staircase moved them up through the tower. They stepped off at the top and Professor Snape knocked on the door that led to Professor Dumbledore’s office.

They waited and after a few minutes the door opened and Professor Dumbledore appeared. He looked as though he had placed his robes over his night clothes, and his robe was hanging open at the front.

“Severus?” Professor Dumbledore asked.

“Rachel was attacked tonight,” Professor Snape said, standing aside and raising his lighted wand so Professor Dumbledore could see her.

“Rachel, my dear. Whatever happened? Are you alright?” Professor Dumbledore asked.

Rachel nodded, but Professor Snape brought his light back over to Professor Dumbledore.

“No, she is not alright. She was attacked by two upper year Gryffindors, who blindfolded her, locked her in a closet, and then put a Silencing Charm on the closet so no one would find her.” Professor Snape’s voice was sharp by this point and the words were near a shout. “If Millicent Bulstrode and Theodore Nott hadn’t come to me to tell me she was missing, then she could have been there all night!”

“Come in,” Professor Dumbledore said, moving back into his office.

Rachel followed Professor Snape inside and watched as the lamps seemed to automatically brighten the room.

Professor Dumbledore moved to the side of the room and removed something from a black cabinet. He came back over to his desk and put down a shallow silver bowl. “Given the situation, I think this is the best solution. If you wouldn’t mind, Severus?”

Professor Snape motioned Rachel forward until she was standing with him in front of Professor Dumbledore’s desk. “This is a Pensieve. It allows us to view someone else’s memory. I’m going to press the tip of my wand against your temple and I want you to think of what happened tonight, starting outside the library and going through to when they left you in the closet. Then I will draw my wand away with the memory. It will feel a little odd, but it will not hurt. Do you understand?” Professor Snape asked.

Rachel nodded. She had a lot of questions, but she understood what he wanted her to do.

He put the tip of his wand against her temple and Rachel thought about leaving the library and the sound of the boy shouting the incantation for the Tripping Jinx. As she thought she felt a little fuzzy, like her knees weren’t quite stable, and then she felt Professor Snape draw his wand away. With it came silvery wisps, which he deposited into the silver bowl.

“Sit down,” he said, and Rachel gratefully sank into a nearby chair. She felt like she had just forgotten something important.

Professor Snape walked around to join Professor Dumbledore behind the desk and they both peered into the silver bowl. Each of them leaned down and touched the wisps within the bowl and then went very still.

Rachel waited, watching them for some sign of movement. They continued to breathe, their chests slowly expanding and contracting, but they otherwise were as still as stone. She supposed they were viewing the memory she had just parted with. If the blood and wounds on her hands were an indication, she’d probably been attacked. She wondered if she had to take that memory back, or if she even could.

Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore stood up in unison.

“Come here, I’ll return your memory to you,” Professor Snape said.

Rachel stood up and watched as Professor Snape captured the memory on the tip of his wand. He brought his wand up carefully and pressed it to her temple again.

She felt a little bit dizzy as she remembered being thrown into the closet and not being able to see.

“Jason Swann and Andrew Saxby, seventh year Gryffindors,” Professor Snape said. “Were these the same two boys who attacked you in October?”

Rachel nodded, she was basically positive it had been them.

“I think we need to invite Minerva to this discussion,” Professor Snape said.

“Yes, of course. Why don’t you go tend to Rachel and I’ll wake Minerva. We can meet back here once you’ve settled Rachel in for the night,” Professor Dumbledore said. “Please feel free to use my floo.”

Rachel followed Professor Snape to the fireplace.

“You recall how to use the floo?” Professor Snape asked.

Rachel nodded and wrapped her arms and hands tightly against her chest.

Professor Snape took some floo powder from the jar on the mantle and tossed it into the fireplace. “Severus Snape’s quarters.”

The flames turned green and Rachel closed her eyes and stepped into them. After a few moments of being bumped around she stumbled out into Professor Snape’s main room, dropping her bag in the process. The soot was stinging the open wounds on her hands and her face.

Professor Snape came through the fireplace, neatly avoiding stepping on her. “Accio healing salve,” he said, holding out his hand. A moment later a jar flew into his hand from the hallway.

Rachel stood up, gingerly dusting herself off. Her hands hurt. She had banged against the door and clawed at the handle for a long time.

Professor Snape reached for her face, salve covering two of his fingers, and Rachel flinched and stumbled back.

They both froze.

Rachel felt like she barely dared to breathe. Professor Snape had never raised a hand to her and this was how she behaved?

“Here, take this into your bathroom. Wash your hands and face and then apply the salve generously on your wounds,” Professor Snape said, putting the lid back on the salve and then holding it out to her.

Rachel accepted the salve and slipped away, deeply embarrassed on numerous counts. She’d had a breakdown when locked in a cupboard, to the point where she’d injured herself, Professor Snape had to come find her, and then she’d flinched away from him like that.

She washed up and carefully applied the salve. She didn’t like the feel of it on her skin, but it was better than walking around Hogwarts with a scratched up face and hands. Then she steeled herself and went back into the main room to give Professor Snape back the salve. 

He was waiting and holding a potion vial, which he handed to her when she handed back the salve. “Take this tonight, it will prevent you from having nightmares,” he said.

Rachel nodded. How did he know she had nightmares sometimes? Was it that obvious?

“I will deal with the situation with the Headmaster. I’ll do whatever I can do,” he said, pausing to wait for her response.

Rachel nodded again, though she had no idea what he was talking about.

“Are you ready to return to your dorm for the night?” he asked.

Rachel nodded and picked up her bag. She felt like she could sleep for a week. She followed him out through his office and down the dungeon hallway to entrance to the Slytherin common room.

“I see you’ve recovered Miss Rachel,” Curbin said from his portrait.

“Indeed, thank you again. Your services are greatly appreciated,” Professor Snape said.

They went into the common room and found that some of the upper years were still awake, though they fell silent when they realized that Professor Snape was in the room.

“You found her,” Millie called as she raced over to them, Theo and Gemma at her heels.

“What happened?” Theo asked.

“Rachel was attacked by some seventh year Gryffindors,” Professor Snape said. “While I appreciate you waiting for Rachel, it is now time for bed. Go on to your dorms.”

“I trust you’re dealing with the Gryffindors?” Gemma asked as Rachel joined Millie in walking toward their dorms.

“That’s what I’m going to do right now,” Professor Snape said.

When Rachel looked back, Professor Snape had already left the common room.

*****

Severus was half expecting that Albus and Minerva had already made their decision by the time he flooed back to the Headmaster’s office. Instead he found both of them waiting for him with solemn expressions.

“Albus let me know what has happened. How is Rachel?” Minerva asked as Severus took a seat next to her. She appeared as though she had dressed hastily and her hair was hanging loose.

Severus thought of the way Rachel had flinched away from him. It wasn’t surprising, all things considered, but it had still been unsettling to witness. “Difficult to say, though she seemed calm enough. I healed her wounds and brought her back to the common room. I’ll check on her again tomorrow.”

“That leaves us with what to do about Mr. Swann and Mr. Saxby,” Albus said, his expression carefully neutral.

“They attacked an eleven year old for the second time and they threatened me,” Severus said, keeping his tone even by force. He would not allow what had happened to him to happen to Rachel. He would make Hogwarts safe for her. “I believe this should be grounds for expulsion.”

“I agree,” Minerva said, surprising Severus.

“I hesitate to expel any student,” Albus said, steepling his hands together. “It is the most extreme measure we can take.”

“Albus, I let you talk me down when you decided to leave Rachel with those muggles and look at what happened. The girl can’t speak or do magic. She’s defenseless. If you think I’m not going to do whatever I can to protect her now, you are sorely mistaken,” Minerva said, steel in her voice.

“Suspension then, for the rest of the school year,” Severus offered when Albus didn’t respond immediately. “They’ll still be able to take their NEWTs at the Ministry. I cannot allow them to stay here and continue to attack Rachel.”

“We can provide them with a list of review topics, so the suspension won’t affect their NEWT scores. They’re eighteen years old and should be able to manage to prepare on their own for two months by now,” Minerva said.

Albus nodded. “Suspension. Minerva, bring Mr. Swann and Mr. Saxby to my office tomorrow morning before breakfast and we will deal with the details.”

Severus felt a strange rush of relief. He had expected Minerva to defend her students and Albus to resist removing them from Hogwarts. He could still remember the dread he had felt when Black and Lupin had been allowed to stay at Hogwarts after they’d nearly killed him. It had played no small part in driving him to the Dark Arts to defend himself, though he could admit to himself he had been on that path since he had started at Hogwarts, maybe even before.

“If there’s nothing else, I will see you tomorrow,” Minerva said.

“Thank you,” Severus said, primarily to her.

“Yes, tomorrow,” Albus said.

Minerva nodded and used the floo to go back to her quarters.

“Severus, you must realize that I do not wish Rachel any harm. Quite the contrary,” Albus said quietly.

Severus looked at him for a long moment. “I do realize that. But I also realize that she is not your only student. By becoming Rachel’s guardian, I have sworn to put her welfare above all else. I don’t begrudge you, Albus. But I must advocate for her safety.”

Albus bowed his head. “I wouldn’t expect otherwise.”

“I plan to speak to my students tomorrow and let them know that a student was attacked and the attackers have been suspended for the remainder of the year. I want them to understand that their actions have consequences,” Severus said, half expecting an objection.

“I suspect Minerva will make a similar statement to her own House. It’s better that they understand why this has happened rather than allowing rampant rumors,” Albus agreed. “I imagine this will also help to impress upon them that Rachel is off-limits and that she will be protected.”

Severus would have preferred if that message wasn’t necessary, but that had been his intention. “Hopefully this will help make Hogwarts a safer place for her. And for all students.”

“Indeed. Is there anything else we should discuss, Severus?” Albus asked.

Severus took the hint and stood up. “I believe that is all for tonight. I will see you tomorrow.”

Albus got to his feet. “Keep an eye on Rachel. In fact, keep both eyes on her.”

“I intend to,” Severus said, inclining his head to Albus and then flooing back to his own quarters. He was under no illusions that just because the two Gryffindor boys were being suspended meant that the danger to Rachel had passed.

*****

Rachel had just finished getting dressed when there was a knock on their dormitory door.

Daphne answered the door, hairbrush in hand, and found Gemma waiting.

“Assemble out in the common room within the next five minutes. Professor Snape wants to address the House before breakfast,” Gemma said, looking over all of them. “You doing okay, Rachel?”

Rachel nodded. The salve had healed her skin entirely, leaving only a few barely noticeable red patches on her knuckles where the skin was regrowing. The potion Professor Snape had given her last night had done its job too - she didn’t remember dreaming at all.

“What’s going on?” Pansy asked.

“I’m not sure, but don’t be late,” Gemma said, closing the door behind her.

Rachel pulled her fingers through her curls to get the largest tangles out and then tied her hair back. She packed her bag with her Defense book and some parchment, as they were planning on doing their essay on zombies after breakfast. She waited as Millie finished getting dressed and they went out into the common room. 

“Do you think this is about what happened to you last night?” Millie whispered as they walked over to where the first year boys had gathered.

Rachel shrugged. She hoped not. She didn’t see why the entire House would need to know she’d been shoved in a closet.

“Are you okay?” Theo asked.

Rachel nodded again.

Professor Snape was standing near the fireplace, his head bent as he talked with Leander.

“What’s going on?” Pansy asked again as she and Daphne joined the first years.

“Whatever it is, he’s not happy,” Draco said, nodding in Professor Snape’s direction.

“Probably some problem with the upper years,” Blaise said. “I heard he found out the sixth year girls were sneaking into the boys dorms.”

Draco laughed. “You’d think they’d know by now that Professor Snape has monitoring charms on the dorms.”

Professor Snape stepped forward and held up his hand. The common room fell silent.

“Now that I have all of you here, I wanted to inform you of an incident that took place last night. Two seventh years attacked a first year, trapping her and causing her to be injured. This will not be tolerated,” Professor Snape paused. “Bullying will not be tolerated. The two seventh years in question have been suspended and will not be returning to Hogwarts.”

Murmurs of surprise rose up around the room.

Rachel blinked. She’d expected the Gryffindor boys to maybe have detention or something. Not returning to Hogwarts was an extreme punishment.

Professor Snape held his hand in the air again and the murmurs died down. “Watch out for each other. Stand up for each other. If you see a classmate being bullied, defend them. Protect the younger years who cannot protect themselves. Inform a prefect or myself if you witness bullying or a victim of bullying. We cannot help you if we do not know what is happening.”

One of the upper years raised her hand and Professor Snape nodded in her direction. “Is the first year alright?”

“Her injuries were treated,” Professor Snape said, neatly side-stepping the question.

“What House were the seventh years in?” another upper year asked, raising his hand.

“Gryffindor House. However, I do not want you to retaliate against the Gryffindors. The people involved have already been suspended. There will be serious consequences for any reports of unprovoked attacks against the Gryffindors,” Professor Snape said, his expression stern.

A few students grumbled at that but they fell silent quickly.

“You can find me in my office today if you need to speak with me or if you have further questions,” Professor Snape said. “Dismissed.”

Students started moving around, some of them staying in the common room, some returning to their dorms, and some heading out for breakfast.

Rachel was about to motion to Millie and Theo that they should go get breakfast when Professor Snape approached her.

“How are you today, Miss Snow?” he asked.

Rachel nodded. She wished people would stop asking that.

“The scratches on your face seems to have healed well. May I see your hands?” he asked, his voice pitched low.

Rachel held out her hands and watched as he looked at them.

“Mostly healed,” he pronounced. “If the redness does not go away by tonight come see me for more healing salve.”

Rachel nodded again.

“You can come see me in my office if you need anything,” he said, watching her closely.

Rachel nodded.

“Go on to breakfast,” Professor Snape said, speaking slightly louder now.

Rachel led Millie and Theo through the crowd of students and out into the dungeon corridor. They had just passed Professor Snape’s office when Gemma rushed over to them.

“I was hoping I’d see you again,” she said breathlessly. “Listen, for the next little while I want you three to stay together when you’re out in the halls.”

“Because Rachel was attacked?” Millie asked.

“Not only that. Professor Snape may have warned people against retaliation, but that probably won’t stop some of them. For a few weeks we’ll probably see people getting hexed in the hallways, and of course the Gryffindors will attack back. Just try to stay together,” Gemma said.

“Are you telling the other first years this too?” Theo asked.

“Yes, and the second and third years. But I wanted to start with you three, because, well,” Gemma trailed off and looked at Rachel.

“Because Rachel’s a target,” Theo finished. “Don’t worry, we’ll protect her.”

“If they want to attack Rachel they have to come through us,” Millie said firmly.

Gemma sighed. “If you’re attacked, get help from a teacher or a Slytherin upper year. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but right now your best defense is to run and get help. Understand?”

They all nodded, but Millie and Theo didn’t look any less resolute.

“Alright, go on to breakfast, and stay safe out there,” Gemma said, turning and heading back toward the common room.

“I think it’s time we researched some defensive spells,” Theo said as they walked towards the Great Hall.

“Agreed,” Millie said.

Rachel silently sighed and followed them. Hopefully they wouldn’t have any need of defensive spells.


	13. Unicorns and Dark Lords

Gemma’s predictions proved correct and over the next six weeks they spent their time in the hallways on guard and huddled together with the rest of the Slytherin first years. A silent yet vicious inter-House war had broken out. The Gryffindors blamed the Slytherins for getting two of their seventh years suspended, the Slytherins blamed the Gryffindors for attacking Rachel. News of the attack spread quickly and for once the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws sided with the Slytherins.

Rachel and her friends weren’t attacked directly, but for the sake of all of them they decided to only talk to Hermione and Neville when they were in their study room or when they visited Hagrid. Theo said it was safer if none of them were branded as House traitors.

By the start of May the weather had warmed up and the trees were just starting to turn green along their branches. This made visiting Hagrid much more pleasant.

On Sunday mid-morning they made the familiar trek down to Hagrid’s house and knocked on his door.

“There you lot are,” Hagrid said, opening his door and allowing Fang to bound out to greet them.

Fang jumped around Millie and Neville before turning to Rachel to lick her face.

“Hello Hagrid,” Hermione said. “Sorry we didn’t get to see you last week. Our study schedules are intense. We only have six weeks until exams!”

“I’m sure you’ll do well,” Hagrid said, smiling down at them. “Come on in for a cup of tea.”

They filed into Hagrid’s house and sat around his table, Rachel happily petting Fang.

“How’s things going with your classes?” Hagrid asked as he filled his kettle.

“Intense is about the right word for it,” Theo said. 

“Very intense,” Neville added glumly. “We’re studying Incendio in Charms, and I can barely make a little flame no matter how much I practice.”

“You’ll get it,” Millie said. “It took me two weeks before I could light a fire in a fireplace.”

“And we just finished studying and brewing the Forgetfulness Potion, and we’re about to start the Pompion Potion,” Hermione added. “And of course we’ve been revising for exams. They’re only six weeks away.”

“We know, Hermione,” Millie said wearily.

Hermione had been keeping a running countdown of how long they had until exams since the start of April.

“Not to worry, Hermione,” Hagrid said kindly. “The way you all study, you’ll be at the top of your class.”

“I’ll settle for not failing,” Neville said.

“No you won’t,” Hermione said, glaring at Neville. “You are not stupid and you’re not bad at magic. Don’t listen to them.”

“Someone giving you trouble, Neville?” Hagrid asked.

Neville shook his head. “No one thinks I can do spells. And I’ll never be as good as my mother and father were.”

“Your mother and father did well for themselves, I knew them back in the day,” Hagrid said, sitting down next to Neville. “The last thing they’d want is for you to be worrying that you’re not as good as they were. You’ll be a fine wizard, these things take time. And how about this, I’ll tell you a secret.”

“A secret?” Neville asked, looking up at Hagrid.

“I knew your grandmother back in the day too, and she failed her Charms OWL. So don’t let her be telling you what makes a good wizard,” Hagrid said.

Neville looked stunned.

“Neville, you do well on your essays and your spell casting is improving. With the pace that Hermione has us studying at, you’ll be more than ready by the time exams arrive,” Theo said, patting Neville on the shoulder.

Hagrid got up and poured them all tea. “That’s right, I meant to show you. Charlie Weasley sent me a letter. He took a photo of Norberta,” he said, setting aside the kettle and going to fetch the letter and photograph.

They passed the letter and photograph around. Norberta - the name Hagrid had given the dragon that hatched from his egg - was now about the same size as Fang and was breathing fire. Rachel thought the dragon was kind of cute, but was glad it was at the dragon reserve instead of in Hagrid’s house.

They were just finishing their tea when Hagrid turned to them, his expression uncharacteristically serious. “Now, I want you to promise me you’ll stay out of the Forbidden Forest,” he said, meeting each of their gazes.

“We already do, Hagrid. It’s forbidden,” Hermione said.

“Well, keep staying out. It’s not safe in there,” Hagrid said.

“More not safe than usual?” Millie asked.

“I just found another dead unicorn last night. I don’t know what’s killing them. Not much can,” Hagrid said.

“Oh no,” Millie said. “That’s so sad.”

Rachel agreed with her. She hadn’t seen a unicorn yet, but she wanted to.

“You don’t know what’s killing them?” Theo asked.

Hagrid shook his head. “Never seen anything like it. But I don’t want you running into whatever it is out there.”

Each of them nodded. Going into the Forbidden Forest at any point seemed like a bad idea, but even more so now.

*****

“Although it’s an interruption to our study schedule, I think it’s important to at least look into this,” Hermione said as they made their way to their study room carrying books about unicorns they’d just checked out from the library.

“Even though the staff is undoubtedly looking into it too?” Theo asked.

“I’m sure the professors can handle it, but it’s not likely they’re giving it their full attention,” Hermione reasoned. “And, if we can help Hagrid figure out what it is, maybe he can stop it from killing more unicorns.”

Rachel nodded. She didn’t want more unicorns to die.

“I’m going to look through the section on the Forbidden Forest in  _ Hogwarts: A History _ and make a list of what is said to be living in the Forest. I suggest the rest of you see if you can figure out what the natural predators for unicorns are, and then we can cross reference our lists,” Hermione said, opening the door to the study room.

They went inside and took their usual places around the table. Rachel liked how homey the study room felt. It was a place just for them and she felt more at ease here than she did just about anywhere else.

Rachel opened the book she had found that had a section on unicorns and began taking notes. The more she read about them, the more she wanted to see them. Their babies were gold, the adolescents were silver, and then the full grown adults were white. They didn’t grow their horns until they were about four years old. There was a picture of two white unicorns standing with their golden foal and Rachel closed her eyes for a moment and imagined what it must be like to pet one. She’d never seen a horse up close, but she imagined it must be a little bit like that, but better.

She also learned that unicorns were very fast and could outrun most creatures, including humans and werewolves. There were small herds of unicorns that were raised by magizoologists, and they collected their tail hair for use as wand cores and took shavings from their horns to be used as potions ingredients.

“Listen to this,” Neville said abruptly. “To kill a unicorn is considered a grave sin. Drinking unicorn blood will save your life, even if you are on death’s door, but you will live a cursed life from the moment the blood touches your lips. It is better to die than it is to live with the curse of having slain something pure and defenseless.”

Theo broke the resulting silence. “I assume you’re all thinking what I’m thinking.”

Rachel nodded. Someone would have to be truly desperate to drink unicorn blood, someone like the Dark Lord.

“You-Know-Who is drinking it for the same reason he wants the Philosopher’s Stone, to get his power back,” Millie said somberly.

“Which means that he’s already past the wards on the grounds,” Hermione said. “Should we tell someone? Professor Snape or Professor McGonagall maybe?”

“As long as Hagrid has reported the unicorn deaths, I think they already know,” Theo said. “They would know all of this without having to look it up in the library.”

“Then why aren’t they doing something?” Neville asked. “If You-Know-Who is in the Forbidden Forest, shouldn’t they be calling the aurors?”

“No, because the aurors believe that You-Know-Who is dead and gone,” Millie said. “But, what if they’re trying to trap him? Then they could really kill him for good.”

“You think they’re luring him here, to Hogwarts, with the Philosopher’s Stone?” Hermione asked, looking horrified.

Rachel swallowed hard. That was terrible to think about. Would Professor Dumbledore really do that?

“The castle has additional wards on it, doesn’t it? In addition to the wards on the grounds?” Theo asked.

Hermione nodded. “Throughout the years most of the Headmasters and some of the staff have added to the wards on the castle, and to those on the grounds. Hogwarts is one of the safest places in Britain.”

“I think we have to believe that they know the Dark Lord is out there. And they obviously know he wants the Stone, or they wouldn’t be guarding it. In fact, I bet Fluffy isn’t the only thing guarding it,” Theo said, getting up to look out the window. The windows looked out on the grounds and the forest. “There’s no way Professor Dumbledore would risk You-Know-Who coming into the castle itself. The entire Ministry and Wizengamot would call for his removal as soon as word got out.”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s here, in the forest,” Neville said, joining Theo at the window. 

“But he can’t get in here. Or at the very least he’s having a hard time doing so,” Theo reasoned. “If the Dark Lord could get in, he’d be in already. So whatever they’re doing to keep him out is working. Maybe they’re going to try to capture him in the forest.”

Hermione sighed. “This doesn’t feel right.”

“What do you mean? You don’t think You-Know-Who is the one killing the unicorns?” Millie asked.

“No, I think he is. Nothing I read about in  _ Hogwarts: A History _ suggests that there is anything else that lives in the Forest that is quick enough or strong enough to kill a unicorn. But You-Know-Who is the most dangerous wizard since Grindelwald,” Hermione said, her gaze fixed on the window. “Surely the staff should be doing something if he’s out there. This is a school. No one here can defend themselves against him.”

Neville nodded.

Rachel wrote on the bottom of the piece of parchment she’d been taking notes on.  _ ‘Professor Dumbledore is supposed to be the one person the Dark Lord is afraid of. Maybe he knows for sure that the Dark Lord won’t approach Hogwarts while he’s here?’ _

Millie read the note and then passed it to Hermione. “Maybe. Especially while he’s in a cursed and weakened state,” Millie said.

“Maybe,” Hermione said. “But I still don’t like it.”

Rachel didn’t either, but she didn’t see that there was anything they could do about it.

*****

“How is school going?” Torey asked as she set up the pieces for them to play parcheesi.

_ ‘Okay. We only have five weeks now until exams. We’ve already started studying, but it’s a lot,’  _ Rachel wrote out and then handed the piece of paper to Torey.

“What do you mean by ‘it’s a lot’?” Torey asked.

Rachel thought about that. It was true that there was a lot of material for them to cover, but that wasn’t really what she had meant.  _ ‘Hermione is really worried about doing well on the exams. She’s drawn up study schedules and everything,’ _ she finally wrote.

Torey read the note and then looked at Rachel. “Why do you think Hermione is worried? You’ve told me that she’s usually at the top of the class.”

That was a good question. Hermione always got the best score on her essays and tests and she was usually the first person in class to be able to perform a spell. Rachel thought about how some of the other kids called Hermione a know-it-all, and the way that some of the pure-blood students ignored Hermione or made fun of her.  _ ‘I think it’s because she wants to prove that she belongs at Hogwarts. That she can do as well as the pure-bloods who have been brought up with magic. I don’t think it will help though,’  _ Rachel wrote.

“Because pure-blood prejudice isn’t about ability,” Torey said, nodding. “Hermione is already showing that she can do magic just as well as the pure-bloods, but getting good grades isn’t going to convince them that what they believe about muggleborns is wrong.”

Rachel nodded.  _ ‘Not all pure-bloods are like that though. Theo and Neville are our friends and they don’t have a problem that Hermione is a muggleborn.’ _

“I’m glad that they’re your friends. And you’re right. Not everyone holds the same prejudices and not everyone has the same background,” Torey said. “How are you feeling about the upcoming tests?”

Rachel played with the pen, not wanting to answer, but knowing that she should.

“Do exams usually make you nervous?” Torey asked.

Rachel shook her head and began to write.  _ ‘They didn’t matter in the past. The Dursleys didn’t care about what my grades were. They didn’t even notice.’ _

Torey read the note. “But they matter now?”

Rachel nodded.  _ ‘Professor Snape is a teacher. He’ll care about what my grades are.’ _

“And, since being at Hogwarts, you usually get good grades, don’t you?” Torey asked.

Rachel nodded again.

“So why are these exams different?” Torey pressed.

Rachel fiddled with the pen again and finally began to write.  _ ‘I can’t do magic. I spent months learning about non-verbal magic and I still can’t do it. In Charms and Transfiguration, part of the exam is practical. I can’t pass them.’ _

“Non-verbal magic is difficult. I don’t know of anyone who has gone directly to using non-verbal magic from not using magic at all,” Torey said.

_ ‘If I don’t pass my exams I’m probably going to be expelled,’ _ Rachel wrote, her hand cramping because she was holding the pen so tightly.

“I don’t think that’s likely,” Torey said. “They know you can’t speak right now, surely they’ll have made some accommodations. I think I know a good way to find out.”

Rachel raised her eyebrows.

“Why don’t we ask Professor Snape? And that way we can find out what arrangements have been made. And if arrangements haven’t been made yet, there’s still time for him to make them,” Torey said.

Rachel looked at the door that led out into the waiting room.

“Would it be okay if we invited him in and we can ask him now?” Torey asked.

Rachel thought about it and then nodded. She felt it was better to know now instead of waiting until she had actually taken the tests.

Torey stood up and went to open the door. “Severus, could you join us for a moment please?”

Professor Snape walked into the room and Rachel quickly got to her feet from where she’d been sitting on the ground.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, looking at Rachel before looking at Torey.

“Why don’t we sit down for a moment, if you wouldn’t mind. Rachel had a question and I thought it was best we get it sorted out sooner rather than later,” Torey said, sitting down in her office chair.

Rachel sat down on the couch and a moment later Professor Snape sat down next her.

“Rachel is concerned that she will be expelled from Hogwarts if she fails her exams since she can’t speak to do the practical exams in Charms and Transfiguration. Have alternative arrangements been made for these exams so Rachel can still participate?” Torey asked.

“Rachel will not be able to pass those two classes without being able to perform the spells required, however, that will not result in her expulsion. I’ve requested that Rachel be allowed to retake the practical portion of her exams once she is able to speak,” Professor Snape explained.

Rachel leaned forward and began to write again.  _ ‘Can’t you just do magic and make me talk?’ _

Torey took the piece of paper and shook her head. “There aren't any spells or potions that can make you talk outside of something like the Imperius Curse or Veritaserum.”

_ ‘Why can’t we use those?’  _ Rachel wrote.

Severus leaned forward to read what Rachel had written before she passed it to Torey. “Because the Imperius Curse is illegal and places you completely under the control of the caster. Veritaserum is a truth potion. You would speak to truthfully answer questions asked of you, but it would not be of your own free will,” he explained.

“Neither would be helpful,” Torey said. “Speaking is just going to take some time and practice. Have you been trying to whisper to yourself while you’re alone?”

Rachel nodded, but leaned forward again to write.  _ ‘It doesn’t work. I can’t get any words to come out.’ _

“Have you been mouthing words to yourself, like you’re speaking silently?” Torey asked.

Rachel nodded again, but her shoulders slumped. It seemed completely hopeless.

“Keep doing that, it’s a step in the right direction. And keep trying to whisper when you’re alone. You will get there, it’s just going to take time,” Torey said. “Look how comfortable you’ve gotten with writing things down when you’re around other people. That’s a huge improvement to where you were six months ago.”

Rachel supposed that was true, but it wasn’t talking. It wasn’t casting spells.

“You will get there,” Professor Snape echoed. “Don’t worry about the practical exams. Study for the parts that you can do. I have no doubts that you will do well in my class.”

“And you don’t have to worry about being expelled either,” Torey said. “Hopefully that will take some of the pressure off while you’re studying.”

It did, a little, but she didn’t like the feeling of going into an exam knowing she was going to fail and that there was nothing she could do about it.

*****

“I’ve drawn up new study schedules,” Hermione said as they settled into the study room on Wednesday, just after they got out of classes for the day. “Unfortunately it removes our independent research time, but since we’re reviewing in both Charms and Defense, our time spent on homework for those two classes can align with our study schedule.

Rachel glanced down at the piece of parchment she’d been handed. Hermione’s handwriting was tiny. She had listed out the subjects and all of the major topics in each that they’d covered that year, as well as a rotating schedule so that they could cover two topics per study session.

“Are you sure you’ve fit everything in there?” Theo asked, looking up from the schedule.

“Do you see something I’ve missed?” Hermione asked, sounding panicked.

“I’m joking,” Theo said. “Try to calm down. We’re already in a good position for these exams. We have our graded essays and tests from the whole year to use as study material and we’ve studied more than anyone else in our year, including the Ravenclaws.”

_ ‘You’ll do well. Don’t worry about what other people are going to think of your exams. You know the materials and we’ll review it with your schedule,’  _ Rachel wrote out and then passed to Hermione.

Hermione nodded. “You’re both right. We will do well. All of us. We study hard and we know the material.”

“That’s right,” Millie said with determination. She looked at Neville. “All of us will do well.”

Neville smiled. “I actually have some good news.”

“Well don’t just say that, tell us what it is,” Theo said, smiling back at Neville.

“Professor Flitwick kept me after class today. He thinks one of the reasons I’m struggling so much with casting charms is that my wand core isn’t compatible with me,” Neville said.

“But it worked when you were at Ollivanders?” Hermione asked.

Neville shook his head. “I didn’t go to Ollivanders. This is my father’s wand. My Gran gave it to me when I got my Hogwarts letter. This wand has a dragon heartstring core. Professor Flitwick says that I would probably do better with a wand with a core of unicorn hair. He’s going to write my Gran and ask if I can get a new wand over the summer.”

“That’s great,” Millie said. “I bet when you get a new wand your incendio will be big enough to start a forest fire.”

“Well, hopefully not,” Hermione said with a smile. “But I do hope it helps. Is passing down wands a tradition then?”

“Most pure-blooded families keep the wands that are in their families, though some people prefer to be buried with theirs. When a child turns eleven, they try out the family wands and see if they’re compatible with any of them, if not, then they go to Ollivanders,” Theo explained, and then glanced at Neville. “Sometimes families can get a little overly attached to the idea of a child using a family wand, though it really is best to get a fresh wand that has only ever belonged to you.”

Rachel wrote down her question and passed it to Neville.  _ ‘Do you think your Gran is likely to let you get a new wand?’ _

“I think she will let me get a new one, especially if I do well on exams and if Professor Flitwick writes her. If I just asked her, she’d probably say no, but it’s different if a professor says that I need a different wand, because they would really know,” Neville said.

“Let us know if she gives you any trouble. There’s an Ollivanders branch in Hogsmeade. I bet we could sneak out there to get you a new wand if we had to,” Millie said.

“Sneak out of the school?” Hermione asked. She looked as though Millie had just suggested they murder someone.

“Well third years and up get to go to Hogsmeade on special weekends. I bet we could slip out with them. If we had to. For a good cause,” Millie said.

Rachel wasn’t so sure about the sneaking out of the school part. She quickly wrote out another note, this time for the whole table.  _ ‘If it comes to it, I can ask Professor Snape to take Neville to Hogsmeade to get a new wand.’ _

“That,” Theo said, nodding at Rachel’s note. “Or we could figure out a way to do it during the summer. You could go together to pick up school supplies and then slip out for ice cream at Fortescue’s, and then go to Ollivanders while you go to get ice cream.”

“I like those plans better than sneaking out,” Hermione said with a firm nod.

“I don’t think it will be a problem. But thank you,” Neville said.

“About this summer,” Theo said, looking uncomfortable. “I need to tell you something.”

“Okay,” Millie said, when he didn’t continue.

“Hermione, remember how you asked me if I had a problem with half-bloods and muggleborns?” Theo asked.

Hermione nodded.

“I don’t. But my father does. A big problem. And he’s not going to like that I’m friends with any of you,” Theo explained.

“Even Neville?” Hermione asked.

“He considered families like the Longbottoms and the Weasleys to be blood traitors. I’ll have to tell him about the study group. He’ll hear about it from other people if I don’t, and it’s better if I’m the one to frame it. I’m going to explain it as I’m using your group to get good grades, because you’re the best study group in our year, but that I’m not friends with any of you. So, I can’t come visit, or have you to visit my place. And it’s probably better if you don’t send letters,” Theo said, his shoulders slumped. “I just thought you should know in advance.”

“That’s awful. But don’t worry about the letters, I have a plan for that,” Hermione said with a firm nod.

“A plan?” Theo asked, sounding worried.

“I will send you a package. Just say you Owl Ordered a book. I’ll even have them send it directly to you from the shop so it looks official,” Hermione said.

“Okay, but nothing suspicious looking,” Theo warned.

“Nothing suspicious,” Hermione promised.

Rachel smiled. It sounded like Hermione was going to get Theo a two-way book. That was probably a good idea. It seemed like Theo was going to have a lonely summer. Hopefully Hermione could use her book to pass on messages from all of them.

“Alright, let’s get started with Charms. We’re reviewing Lumos and Nox, starting with entomology, then theory, then practice,” Hermione said, checking her notes.

They all took out their Charms books and prepared to study.


	14. The Philosopher’s Stone

It was the last week in May and they were a week away from exams. Rachel found she could hardly go anywhere in Hogwarts without running into people talking about what might be on the tests and looking through their notes and books.

Their study group had finished their review schedule and had begun to test themselves on the various subjects they thought were likely to be on the exams. Apart from Charms and Transfiguration, which Rachel knew she couldn’t pass, her biggest concern was History of Magic. There was so much information to know, and unlike the other classes, it was difficult to find ways to organize it into distinct topics. It didn’t help that Professor Binns’ lectures were very dull and hard to sit through.

They were in the middle of rereading their notes on the Gargoyle Strike of 1911 when Rachel quickly wrote out _ ‘bathroom’  _ on a piece of parchment and pushed it to the middle of the table.

“Want one of us to come with you?” Millie asked.

Rachel shook her head. There was a bathroom just down the Defense corridor. She wouldn’t be long. Besides, with impending exams, the war between Houses had come to a standstill.

She left the study room and made her way down the hall to the bathroom. They only had an hour until curfew and the Defense corridor was empty of students and ghosts alike.

After using the bathroom, Rachel stepped back out into the corridor and paused. She thought she heard someone crying. She followed the sound, which led her to the classroom where they had Defense.

“Please, please.”

Rachel froze just outside the doorway. It was Professor Quirrell’s voice.

“Not again,” he begged. “Please. I can’t. They know it’s me.”

Rachel listened carefully, but she couldn’t hear whoever was threatening him.

“All right, I’ll do it,” Professor Quirrell said. “I’ll get the Stone.”

Rachel’s jaw dropped with the realization that it must be the Dark Lord who was threatening him. Which meant the Dark Lord was here, in Hogwarts.

“Yes, I’ll go now,” Professor Quirrell sobbed.

Rachel took off at a run, her heart in her throat. Professor Quirrell and the Dark Lord were going to get the Philosopher’s Stone. Now. She nearly fell as she raced down the staircases. She ignored the handful of students she saw and continued to run until she got to Professor Snape’s office. She pounded on the door.

The door swung open a few moments later, Professor Snape’s face livid. “What the hell- Rachel? Rachel, what’s wrong?” he asked, his tone quickly changing when he saw her.

Rachel raced into his office and looked around for a quill and parchment. There was plenty of parchment around but she didn’t see a quill. There was no time.

She turned to Professor Snape and focused as hard as she could. “Dark Lord here. Quirrell. Stone.” Her voice was barely a whisper and her throat burned, but Professor Snape had heard her.

“The Dark Lord is here and Quirrell is going after the Philosopher’s Stone?” Professor Snape asked, his eyes wide.

Rachel nodded frantically.

Professor Snape waved his wand in a circle and a bright gold bubble spread around them and into the walls. “I’ve warded my quarters and office against any intrusions. Stay here until I come back for you. Do you understand me?”

Rachel nodded.

Professor Snape waved his wand again and a bright silver doe appeared. “To Albus Dumbledore. I was wondering if you would join me for tea at nine.”

The doe hesitated and then ran through one of the walls.

“Stay here, in my office or my quarters. Do not leave unless I come back or Professor Dumbledore comes to get you,” he repeated.

Rachel nodded again.

Professor Snape took some floo powder and threw it into the fireplace. “Defense classroom.” He stepped into the green flames and then was gone.

Rachel sank down into the nearest chair, her heart still pounding. So many things had happened in such a short space of time, she didn’t know what to think about first.

Somewhere, beneath all of the fear of what was going to happen to Professor Snape, she felt a small glow of pride. She had spoken.

*****

The Defense classroom was empty when Severus arrived. He didn’t know how much of a lead time Quirrell had, but he had to do whatever he could to catch up.

He knew Albus was away at the Ministry, but Severus’ message should bring him back to Hogwarts as soon as possible. The code was an old one, used by the Order of the Phoenix ever since Albus had discovered how to use Patronus’ for conveying messages. There was no way to know who would be around when the Patronus delivered its message, so they’d come up with a code.

Asking to have tea at six meant that the situation was as expected. Tea at nine meant something was wrong and assistance was needed as soon as possible. In this case, tea at nine directly meant Quirrell had gone after the Stone and Severus was in pursuit. Tea at midnight would mean it was a worst case scenario. They used the numbers in between for various shades of meaning.

In short order he arrived at the door that was served as an entrance to the enchantments that were guarding the Stone. He listened carefully, and when he didn’t hear the Cerberus growling he eased open the door. The Cerberus was asleep and a harp was playing nearby.

“Ludere chordis,” Severus said as he pointed his wand at the harp, not wanting to rely on Quirrell’s charm to make sure the music continued.

He watched the Cerberus for any signs of movement and then made his way to the trap door. Quirrell had somehow managed to close it behind him. Severus eased the door open and then lit his wand and pointed it downward. Albus was the only one who knew all the enchantments guarding the Stone.

His light did little to illuminate the darkness below the trap door and there was no ladder or obvious means of descent. Seeing no other option, he cast a Feather-light charm on himself and jumped.

The Feather-light charm slowed his fall and he landed easily on his feet after falling for about a minute. The trapdoor seemed very distant when he looked up. He thought this must be some section of the dungeons that was cut off from the rest.

Tendrils of a plant wound their way toward him and Severus immediately recognized the Devil’s Snare. This must have been Pomona’s contribution. “Incendio,” he said, holding his wand in front of him and moving it back and forth to burn away all of the seeking tendrils. A few minutes later nothing remained of the plant but a few burning embers in the corners of the room. 

Severus turned down the only passageway that was open and began walking. There was water trickling in from somewhere and he wondered if this section of the castle might be under the lake. He paused when he heard a sound ahead, holding his wand at the ready. There was the sound of rustling, like birds, and a strange clinking noise. Maybe chains?

The archway ahead was lit brightly and Severus made his way into the chamber, stopping at the very edge. What appeared to be small birds fluttered around the ceiling, perhaps prepared to attack whoever crossed the room.

Severus aimed his wand above his head and cast “protego”. With his Shield charm firmly in place he made his way across the room to the door. The birds made no move to attack him. Maybe he had to try the door first. He touched the handle, but there was still no response from the birds. He released his Shield charm.

He silently cast the Unlocking charm, not expecting it to work - which it didn’t - and then reexamined the room. There were a few broomsticks leaning against the wall.

Severus looked up again and focused on the birds. Keys, he realized. Filius had enchanted flying keys. He looked back at the lock, examining the keyhole, and decided the key would likely be large and silver.

Before long he spotted a key that matched that description with its feathers already bent. He was no Seeker and he had no intention of wasting time flying around on a broomstick when Quirrell was advancing toward the Stone. Modifying charms wasn’t really his area of expertise, but he could do it when necessary. He pointed his wand at the key, aiming steadily. “Accio clavis argenti,” he incanted, then quickly throwing up a Shield charm again just in case his interference caused the keys to attack.

Multiple silver keys were summoned by his spell, but he was able to catch the one he thought he needed and shoo the others away. The key fit easily in the keyhole and the door opened, the key taking off in flight once again as soon as he let go.

With his wand ready, he stepped through the doorway into the darkened chamber. He lit his wand and stepped forward, but he had only made it a few feet before light flooded the chamber to reveal a giant chess set. This would be Mineva’s contribution, undoubtedly.

He approached the chess board, the black pieces on his side, and immediately realized what Minerva had intended. He didn’t have time to play a game of chess. He needed to catch up with Quirrell and the Dark Lord before he got the Stone.

“Bombarda,” he called, directing the blast at the pieces in front of him. It took out six of the chess pieces. He took a step back to avoid the flying fragments of stone and used two more Exploding charms to take out the rest of the black chess pieces. He crossed halfway and then did the same to the white chess pieces. He had no doubt of what Minerva’s expression would be if she ever found out how he got past her contribution to protecting the Stone.

He stepped through the fragments of chess pieces and made his way down another passageway. Soon he reached a door and he could smell the troll inside before he even opened it. Of course Quirrell would think it was a good idea to keep a troll in an enclosed space.

Severus took one last breath of fresh air and opened the door, ready to aim a Blasting curse at the troll’s face. Inside, he found the troll laying out on the ground, still breathing but unconscious. Managing not to gag, he hurried through the room and up to the next door. He listened and then went through when he didn’t hear anything.

At last, his own contribution to protecting the Stone.

He went over to the table and read over the logic puzzle he had written to make sure Albus hadn’t made any changes. He found it exactly the way he had written it. He picked up the smallest bottle and walked over to the black flames in the doorway leading onward. Unless he was miscalculating, Quirrell - and the stone - would be in the next room.

He drank the Fire Protection Potion and took a slow and steady breath as he prepared to walk through the flames. His objectives were simple. Stop Quirrell and the Dark Lord. Protect the Stone.

Severus stepped through the flames and walked into the final chamber.

Quirrell was waiting for him, standing in front of a mirror. He turned when Severus entered the room.

“Severus, I might have known you would come,” Quirrell said with no trace of his signature stutter.

“It’s not too late, Quirrell. You can walk away from the Dark Lord. You can still join us,” Severus said, hoping that Quirrell wouldn’t hear the lie in his words.

Quirrell laughed.

“It is far too late. Lord Voldemort and I are as one, in a way you could never hope to be. Shall I show you?” Quirrell asked. He reached up and pulled off his turban.

Quirrell turned his back on Severus. “Are you still my faithful servant, Severus?” the face with the red eyes on the back of Quirrell’s head asked. There was a slight movement as Quirrell raised his wand.

“Avada kedavra!” Severus shouted, a flash of green light flying from his wand.

Quirrell fell forward. Dead.

A white specter with red eyes rose from Quirrell’s head and flew at Severus while screaming “Betrayal!”

Severus dropped to the floor just in time to prevent the specter - whether the Dark Lord’s spirit or soul, he didn’t know - from flying through him.

He got to his feet and went to check on Quirrell. Quirrell was dead. Of course, he had been the minute he’d allowed the Dark Lord to share his body. Quirrell must have been the one drinking unicorn blood in the forest in order to stay alive while being possessed.

It took him two tries to successfully cast the Patronus charm. “To Albus Dumbledore. Tea at eleven.”

His doe inclined her head and then took off at a run.

They had been very near disaster and yet the Stone had been protected.

Severus walked over to the mirror, approaching it from the side so he wasn’t reflected. He was curious as to how Albus had chosen to protect the Stone. He read the inscription on top. It read  _ ‘Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi’. _

The solution was simple. Albus had placed the stone in the mirror. Anyone who wanted the Stone for itself would be allowed to take it. Anyone who wanted to use the Stone would see the effects - wealth and immortality. Simple, yet effective.

Severus hesitated for a moment, uncertain if he wanted to know what his heart’s true desire was. He finally stepped in front of the mirror, though no amount of bracing himself could have prepared him for what he saw.

He was there, smiling and laughing. His hand was on Rachel’s shoulder. Rachel was looking up at him, smiling and talking. And next to them was Lily. His wife.

He stumbled away from the mirror, feeling Lily’s loss all over again. 

What would she say if she could see him now? Would she approve of how he was raising her daughter? What advice would she have for him?

There was no way to know.

“Severus?”

He looked up and found Albus walking toward him.

“Quirrell is dead. I was forced to kill him. He was possessed by the Dark Lord. When I killed Quirrell, the Dark Lord’s spirit, or his soul, flew out of him. The Dark Lord is aware that I have betrayed him,” Severus recounted.

Albus nodded and bent to check on Quirrell. “The Killing Curse?”

“The Dark Lord had just revealed himself to me and was preparing to attack. I felt anything less than death would not stop him. I couldn’t leave the Stone unguarded,” Severus explained.

“You mistake me, I meant not to condemn your actions, just to confirm what had happened,” Albus said. “You did what was necessary. Voldemort was prepared to take the Stone. We could not allow that to happen.”

Severus nodded. “What is our story?”

“Professor Quirrell was killed by the protections guarding the Philosopher's Stone when he attempted to steal it,” Albus said. “I will tell the Minister as much, though I will reveal to him that Voldemort was possessing Quirinus so he can be aware of the possibility.”

It was close enough to the truth. Severus was one of the protections guarding the Stone.

“And the Dark Lord?” Severus asked.

“Same as before. We watch and we listen,” Albus said. “There is very little Voldemort can do without a body, however, I suspect he will find yet another who is willing to carry out his will. For the time being, I believe the mirror will do an adequate job of protecting the Stone.”

“If you feel it’s safe enough,” Severus said, trying not to show his doubt.

“It seems Quirinus and Voldemort had some time with the mirror before you arrived and were unable to access the Stone. I would say that it is safe enough for now,” Albus said. “Severus, you did well.”

“Thank you,” Severus said. “I left Rachel in my quarters. I’m going to go check on her, unless you need anything else?”

Albus shook his head. “You have done more than enough for one night.”

Severus left Albus in the chamber with Quirrell’s body and the mirror. He had done as much as he could do.

*****

Rachel had gone into Professor Snape’s quarters to wait when he didn’t come back within fifteen minutes. She spent a while looking at the titles on his bookshelves, particularly the fiction books that he had indicated her mother had given him, all the while worrying about what was happening.

Everything she’d read said that the Dark Lord was incredibly powerful. Could Professor Snape really stop him from taking the Stone? Could he even survive?

She supposed that it helped that the Dark Lord was weakened, maybe even cursed from drinking the unicorn blood, but he probably was still incredibly dangerous.

It was almost curfew when there was a sound coming from Professor Snape’s office. Rachel realized someone was knocking at the door. She decided she should open it in case it was Professor Dumbledore.

“Rachel,” Millie said, sounding relieved.

“What happened?” Theo asked. “We thought some upper years got you again.”

Millie took a step forward but was rebuffed by a shield of golden light. The light disappeared when she stepped back again. “What was that?”

“Wards,” Theo said. “Where’s Professor Snape?”

Rachel held up a hand, hoping they would understand to wait, and went to find some parchment and a quill.  _ ‘I overheard Professor Quirrell talking to the Dark Lord and Professor Quirrell said he was going to get the Stone so I ran down here to tell Professor Snape. He went after Quirrell to stop him!’ _

She went back to the door and held up the parchment so they could read it.

“The Dark Lord is in the castle?” Theo said, immediately looking around.

“Should we get the teachers to evacuate the school?” Millie asked.

Rachel shook her head and went back over to Professor Snape’s desk so she had a place to write.  _ ‘No. Professor Snape sent a secret message to Professor Dumbledore. I’m supposed to wait here until Professor Snape or Professor Dumbledore comes for me.’ _

She went back to the door and held the parchment up again.

“If Professor Dumbledore knows, he’s probably taking care of things,” Millie said.

“We shouldn’t tell anyone. We’d either cause a panic or people would think we’re liars,” Theo said.

Rachel nodded. She went back to the desk to write again.  _ ‘There’s a two-way book in my wardrobe. Hermione has the other copy. Write to her and let her know I’m okay and that Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore are going after Professor Quirrell and the Dark Lord. I’ll come back to the common room after Professor Snape gets back.’ _ If he comes back at all, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking.

“We can do that. The one with the green cover, right?” Millie asked.

Rachel nodded.

“Given the wards, I think you’re safest in Professor Snape’s office,” Theo said. “We’ll see you soon.”

“Yes, soon,” Millie echoed.

Rachel waved goodbye and shut the door after they had hurried away. She was glad they were safe and hadn’t encountered Professor Quirrell and the Dark Lord in the Defense corridor.

She tossed the parchment she’d used into the fire, collected a few more sheets for when Professor Snape got back and went back to the couch to wait.

Another thirty minutes passed while she sat and worried, and then she heard the door to Professor Snape’s office open and close. She jumped to her feet just in time for Professor Snape to step through the wall.

“You are safe?” he asked.

Rachel nodded and quickly wrote out her questions.  _ ‘Are you okay? Is the Philosopher’s Stone safe? Is Professor Dumbledore okay? What happened?’ _

Professor Snape read her note and then sat down in his armchair. “In order, I am alright. The Philosopher’s Stone remains safe. Albus is also alright. I followed Quirrell through the protections guarding the Stone and prevented him from taking it.”

_ ‘What about the Dark Lord?’ _ Rachel wrote.

“He escaped. He’s in a non-corporeal form, meaning he doesn’t have a body. He’s some sort of spirit or fragment of soul. I’m not certain,” Professor Snape explained. “How did you know about the Philosopher’s Stone?”

Rachel began to write, starting with her trip to Diagon Alley and Gringotts, the article about the attempted theft, being shut in with Fluffy and how to get past him, Hagrid accidentally telling them about Flamel, reading about the Philosopher’s Stone and knowing the Dark Lord would want it, and about the unicorns dying and the Dark Lord drinking unicorn blood in the Forbidden Forest. She finished with the conversation she’d overheard that evening. By the time she was done she had filled two sheets of parchment, which she passed to Professor Snape.

He read through them silently, his left eyebrow creeping up his forehead. “You and your study group figured all of this out?”

Rachel nodded.

“I do not wish to lie to you. However, an edited version of what happened tonight will be made public. As far as they’re aware, Quirrell attempted to steal the Stone for himself and was killed by the protections guarding the Stone,” Professor Snape said.

Rachel’s eyes grew wide.  _ ‘Did the Dark Lord kill Professor Quirrell?’ _ she wrote, her handwriting messier than usual.

“No, though he would not have survived regardless. Quirrell was sharing his body with the Dark Lord, which is why he was drinking unicorn blood to survive,” Professor Snape said. “You are not to tell anyone about this. In fact, apart from your study group, no one is to know that the Dark Lord was present or had any influence on the events that took place here.”

_ ‘Shouldn’t people know that the Dark Lord is dangerous?’ _ Rachel wrote.

“The Ministry is aware that Albus believes that the Dark Lord was not killed on the night he attempted to kill you. Albus has not been circumspect in stating that. However, people do not want to believe that is true. To tell them that the Dark Lord was here, in Quirrell’s body, without proof would only increase their disbelief and lead them to think Albus is lying,” Professor Snape explained. “There will come a time when we can tell the truth. But that time is not now.”

Rachel thought this over and felt like she understood. She had learned not to tell Aunt Petunia a lot of things, because it only got her in trouble, even if those things were true.

“Earlier, you spoke to me. Do you think you could do so again?” Professor Snape asked.

Rachel took a deep breath and opened her mouth, willing herself to say something. Anything. She shook her head, feeling her face flush.

“Never mind. What’s important is that you know you can speak. You heard yourself do it. The rest will come with time and practice,” he said.

Rachel nodded. She had spoken. She wasn’t sure if she could do it again, but she could keep trying.

“Do you have any other questions for me?” he asked.

Rachel shook her head. More than anything, she was glad he was safe and glad the Dark Lord hadn’t gotten the Stone.

“I’ll walk you back to the common room,” he said, standing up. He wove his wand and a golden light peeled back off the walls and then disappeared.

They walked together in silence back to the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

“Thank you for coming straight to me tonight,” Professor Snape said, setting his hand on her shoulder for just a moment. “Please let me know if you need anything.”

Rachel nodded and went inside the common room when he opened the door.

Millie and Theo were waiting for her at one of the tables. She went over to them and found that they had her two-way book open and had recently written to Hermione.

Rachel picked up the quill and wrote out _ ‘The Stone is safe. Professor Snape stopped him from taking it. Professor Quirrell was killed by the protections guarding the Stone. The Dark Lord is non-corporeal (a spirit or something) and he escaped. We’re not supposed to tell anyone about the Dark Lord being involved, they’re just saying that Professor Quirrell tried to take the Stone.’ _

“A cover up,” Theo said quietly. “It makes sense, but still.”

_ ‘I’m glad you’re safe. I’m glad the Philosopher’s Stone is safe. Let’s talk about this in our study room tomorrow,’ _ Hermione replied through the book.

Rachel nodded. She was strangely exhausted.  _ ‘Yes, tomorrow. Goodnight,’ _ she wrote.

Millie looked around the common room. There were still plenty of people awake. “Tomorrow.”


	15. Exams and Goodbyes

They spent their study time over the rest of the week alternating between preparing for their exams and discussing what had happened.

Theo had said that the cover up was necessary. If news spread that the Dark Lord had been at Hogwarts people would either think Professor Dumbledore was lying or that Hogwarts wasn’t safe. He had some theories about what Professor Dumbledore was going to do with the Philosopher’s Stone - including using it for himself and keeping it in his pocket - but none of them really had any idea what would happen to it.

Hermione was concerned that the protections guarding the Philosopher’s Stone could kill and they were being kept in a school, and pointed out that Rachel could have died when she first encountered Fluffy. They all agreed that Professor Quirrell hadn’t been a great teacher, and that it was disturbing that he had been working with You-Know-Who all this time, but it was still unfortunate that he had died.

Neville was uneasy that the You-Know-Who had entered Hogwarts to begin with and that the wards hadn’t been enough to keep him out. He had pointed out that there wasn’t really anything to stop You-Know-Who from coming back and they definitely didn’t want him around even if he was non-corporeal.

Millie had said she was just glad the whole situation was done with and that Professor Snape had managed to stop You-Know-Who from taking the Stone. She didn’t see why You-Know-Who would come back because he had failed at getting the Stone, and he was probably off somewhere else with another plan. They all hoped that plan would fail as well.

The week passed by quickly and then suddenly it was Monday morning again and their exams started.

They were given new quills, enchanted with Anti-Cheating spells, and as they took the exams the teachers walked among their desks looking over all of them with sharp eyes.

In Defense class, Professor Dumbledore oversaw their exams. They gave short answers to questions about imps, vampires, and how to cure werewolf bites, wrote an essay comparing and contrasting the different creatures the Ministry classified as spirits, and identified how and when to use a Knockback Jinx.

Professor Snape had them brew a Forgetfulness potion. Fortunately this was the most recent potion their study group had reviewed. Rachel was careful to crush the mistletoe berries into a medium-fine powder - as too fine of a powder would cause the potion to boil over - and then stirred five times anti-clockwise. Even though Neville was shaking with nerves he managed to get through the exam without any mishaps, even though his potion was more red than orange.

For their Charms exam they answered questions about the theory and etymology of the Unlocking and Locking charms, Levitation charms, the Wand-lighting charm, and the Fire-Making spell. After they completed their written exams, Professor Flitwick called them in one by one and asked them to make a pineapple dance across his desk. When Rachel went in, he had her write down the incantations - wingardium leviosa followed by tarantallegra - and then perform the wand motions. Rachel knew that she couldn’t receive a passing grade in the class without being able to perform the spells, but Professor Flitwick had merely told her that she did well and dismissed her.

In Transfiguration they wrote short essays about the Flintifors and Avifors spells and then were asked to turn a mouse into a snuff box. As with Charms, Rachel wrote down the spell and performed the wand movement, and accepted that she wouldn’t pass the class.

In Herbology they replanted some Puffapods and collected the beans without causing them to bloom before writing answers to a series of short questions about the care and uses of various plants that they’d studied that year.

At midnight on Wednesday they went to the Astronomy Tower and carefully labeled the major constellations that were currently in the night sky. 

Their final exam was in History of Magic. They spent an hour writing about the Gargoyle Strike of 1911, the Soap Blizzard of 1378, and Emeric the Evil - who had terrorized Britain in the Middle Ages and uncomfortably reminded Rachel of the Dark Lord.

After they had lunch following their final exam, they went back to their study room and compared notes.

“I mixed up Emeric the Evil with Uric the Oddball,” Neville said with a heavy sigh.

“An easy mistake to make,” Hermione said. “They both lived at the same time and we covered them on the same day in class.”

“I think I did well, overall,” Millie said. “The exams weren’t as difficult as I was expecting.

Rachel privately agreed. If anything, they had overprepared.

“Me too,” Theo said with a nod. “I wouldn’t be surprised if our group took most of the top spots in our class.”

“I think so too,” Hermione said.

“I don’t think I’ll be near the top of the class, but I think I did okay. Professor McGonagall said my snuff box was very nice, and Professor Flitwick didn’t ask us to do incendio,” Neville said. “I’m sure I passed everything, at least.”

“That’s great,” Hermione said, smiling at him. “How about you, Rachel?”

_ ‘I think my essays and short answers were fine, but I can’t pass Charms or Transfiguration without being able to do the spells,’  _ Rachel wrote out.

“I still don’t think that’s fair,” Theo said. “You proved that you know the spells. It’s not your fault you can’t do them yet.”

Rachel took back the parchment and added to the end of it.  _ ‘Professor Snape says I can retake the practical tests once I can speak.’ _

“Well, that’s good,” Hermione said, sounding uncertain.

Rachel nodded. She hadn’t told any of them yet that she’d spoken to Professor Snape. So far she hadn’t been able to manage to speak again, even when she was alone.

Millie leaned back in her chair. “Just think, no more crazy study schedule.”

“We can go back to researching whatever we want,” Hermione said happily.

Theo and Neville started laughing and after a moment Millie and Hermione joined them.

“Well, we can!” Hermione said, smiling.

Rachel smiled too. She was glad they were all her friends.

*****

_ ‘I’m glad exams are finished,’ _ Rachel wrote. It was Saturday morning and she was sitting cross-legged on the floor of Torey’s office while they put together a jigsaw puzzle.

“Were they as difficult as you expected?” Torey asked, fitting together two side pieces of the puzzle.

Rachel picked up the pen - and was surprised at how it now felt strange to use a ball-point pen instead of a quill - and started writing.  _ ‘No. I knew basically all of the material and we reviewed a lot that wasn’t included. I don’t like that I won’t pass Charms and Transfiguration, but there isn’t anything I can do about it.’ _

“Professor Snape said you can retake the practical part of those exams when you’re ready,” Torey reminded her.

_ ‘I don’t think I’m ever going to be ready,’ _ Rachel wrote, her hand shaking slightly.

“I’d bet at the start of this year you would have thought you wouldn’t ever be able to hold a conversation by writing either,” Torey said, her voice carefully neutral.

That was true. But it wasn’t the same. _ ‘I talked to Professor Snape, because it was an emergency and I couldn’t find a quill. It hurt. A lot.’  _ Rachel passed the piece of paper to Torey and focused on fitting together some of the blue pieces that made up the sky.

“You’re not used to using your vocal cords. It’s going to feel strange, even painful at first. Here, do you mind if I do a quick diagnostic charm?” Torey asked.

Rachel shook her head.

Torey got her wand from her desk drawer and pointed it at Rachel. “The scarring on your throat is completely healed. The pain was likely caused by irritation in your throat. That’s one of the reasons we’re going to start with whispering before we try talking.”

Rachel sighed and shook her head again.  _ ‘I was barely whispering to him. And I did try again, by myself, and I couldn’t make it happen.’ _

Torey sat back down and read Rachel’s note. “Be patient with yourself. It’s important to show yourself kindness. Until last week you hadn’t spoken for almost four years. It’s going to be difficult and it’s not going to happen right away. I think it is amazing that you did manage to speak to Professor Snape, even if it was only once.”

Rachel didn’t respond. It was frustrating and embarrassing. Everyone else could talk.

“We haven’t ever discussed when you first stopped talking,” Torey said. “Do you remember when that happened?”

Rachel nodded and put her hand to her throat. She didn’t like thinking about that summer.

“Do you want to write about what happened?” Torey asked, her tone gentle.

Rachel shook her head.

“From your medical records, I know that what happened must have been very painful,” Torey said. “It’s okay if you’re not ready to go into it. I think it’s possible that one of the reasons it was painful for you to talk to Professor Snape, and why it’s so hard to talk now, is that what happened in the past was very painful. Our minds make connections. Your mind remembers that pain and expects it to happen again.”

Rachel dropped the puzzle piece she’d been fidgeting with and began to write.  _ ‘What if I’m never able to talk?’ _

“I don’t think that’s likely. Most people who stop talking do start talking again,” Torey said. “That you’ve done it once is a very good sign that you’ll be able to do it again.”

_ ‘It was an emergency. I had to do something or Professor Quirrell would have gotten the Philosopher’s Stone and then the Dark Lord would have returned.’ _ Rachel half stabbed the piece of paper as she put the period on her sentence.

“And you did the right thing. You went and got help from Professor Snape. I’m really glad you did that instead of trying to handle the situation on your own,” Torey said. “I don’t think your speaking is going to just be limited to emergencies. We’ve talked about the first steps. Are you still mouthing words to yourself when you’re alone?”

Rachel nodded. She practiced every night after they turned out the lights in the dorm, feeling like an idiot the entire time.

“That’s good. After a while it’s going to feel natural. Another thing I want you to try when you’re on your own is making sounds. Try sounding out the alphabet, move your mouth as if you were going to say the letter and let air come through your lips,” Torey explained.

She was going to have to wait until the end of term for that, because she definitely wasn’t doing that while other people were in the dorm room. Fortunately summer was only a week away.

_ ‘I want to do magic. I can feel it in my wand, waiting for me. When we practice spells, I can tell that it knows what I want it to do,’ _ Rachel wrote, feeling where she’d placed her wand in her pocket.

“That’s good,” Torey said, reading Rachel’s note. “Focus on that desire. Try mouthing the incantations to the spells you’ve learned. For now, don’t worry about getting into conversations with people, or even speaking in the same room as someone else. Practice closing your eyes and imagining yourself saying the spell and the magic working.”

Rachel nodded. After spending a year around magic and watching her classmates perform spells, she badly wanted to be able to do it. 

“You’re going to get there, Rachel. It’s going to take time and hard work, but I am certain that you’re going to be able to speak and that you’re going to be able to do magic,” Torey said, meeting Rachel’s eyes.

Rachel held Torey’s gaze for a long moment and tried to feel some of the confidence that Torey had. She wanted it, but she was still scared. But then again, she’d been afraid of a lot of things in her life, and she’d gotten through them. Maybe she could get through this too.

*****

Severus sat down at his place at the staff table for the end-of-year feast. Part of him couldn’t believe that the year had gone by so quickly. Part of him couldn’t believe that he had four more years left with the Weasley twins.

It was a little strange to know that his responsibilities didn’t end when the students got on the train this year. He had made tentative plans to return to Spinner’s End with Rachel after he finished putting together grades and sorted out his classroom for the end of the year. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do with her for the entire summer. It was a little different than having dinner with her once a week, but he wasn’t as worried as he had expected to be. They would figure something out.

“Severus,” Minerva said as she sat down next to him.

Severus allowed himself to smile. After all this was the seventh year running the Great Hall was decked out in green and silver and his House had won the Quidditch Cup to boot. “Minerva,” he said, knowing how much it would bother her.

“You two are worse than the students,” Pomona said from two seats over.

“They are, aren’t they,” Filius said.

“We’re simply not averse to showing a little House pride,” Minerva said stiffly.

“Indeed,” Severus said, looking over at where his House was happily gathered. He paused for a moment and looked for Rachel. He spotted her among the first years, sitting with Millicent and Theodore as usual.

“What are your plans for the summer, Severus?” Minerva asked.

“After we finish at Hogwarts, I’ll take Rachel with me back to my home,” Severus said.

Minerva raised an eyebrow and waited.

Severus got the feeling he was missing something, but he did not know what she expected from him.

“Children need to have things to do during the summer, or they’ll get bored and you’ll have trouble on your hands,” Pomona said, clearly having listened in on their conversation.

“At least get her a tutors exemption so she can practice spells over the summer, if she’s able,” Minerva said.

Severus nodded. That was a very wise idea indeed. If Rachel was going to be retaking her practical exams before the start of the next school year she needed to be able to practice magic. He was hoping that being away from the stress of school would help Rachel start to talk.

“And make arrangements with the parents of her friends. It’s good for her to spend time with them,” Pomona added.

“Perhaps take her shopping at Flourish and Blotts, and a muggle bookshop as well. Rachel and her friends seem like they’re bookworms. I used to pass my summers as a student with my nose deep in a book,” Filius suggested.

“Thank you,” Severus said. All of those were good ideas, though Severus wasn’t sure about how he felt about seeing his students outside of the school year. He had the feeling that Torey would think it was wise for Rachel to spend time with her friends, and he would make the necessary arrangements.

“You’ll do fine, Severus,” Minerva said. “You’ve done well with her this year. She seems much happier and calmer than she did when she first arrived.”

“She does,” Severus agreed. He had seen the changes as well.

Albus arrived and the school settled down as he stepped up to the podium.

“Here we go,” Minerva said quietly.

Severus couldn’t - and didn’t want to - stop the smile that spread across his face. He did enjoy the House rivalry he had with Minerva. It didn’t hurt that his House kept winning.

“Another year gone by,” Albus said. “Hopefully you have all spent the time in learning and in friendship. I imagine your heads are fuller now than they were when you started in September, and you have all summer to get them ready to learn again. Now, we have the House Cup to award.”

Severus leaned back in his chair as Albus read off the point totals. Poor Minerva in last place. Such humiliation.

“And the House Cup goes to Slytherin, with four hundred and seventy-two points!” Albus announced, clapping his hands.

The Slytherin table broke out in cheers. The seventh years were particularly pleased as their House had won the House Cup the entire time they’d been at Hogwarts.

Minerva offered Severus her hand and he shook it. “Next year,” she said.

Severus just raised an eyebrow. When would she learn that cunning and ambition would almost always win out over bold and brash bravery?

“And now, the feast,” Albus said, waving his wand. Food appeared on all of the tables and the atmosphere in the room was pleasantly cheerful.

For the evening, Severus allowed himself to put aside the fact that it had been necessary to kill Quirrell and that the Dark Lord was waiting and biding his time.

For this one evening, Severus could relax and enjoy a few hours with his colleagues.

*****

Rachel had unpacked her wardrobe along with everyone else, but had brought her trunk to Professor Snape’s office rather than bringing it down to the Entrance Hall with everyone else. They would be staying a few more days at Hogwarts.

Professor Snape had let her know she could take the train back to London with her friends and he would come pick her up and then they would apparate back to Hogwarts. Rachel had taken him up on that offer since it meant she got to spend a few more hours with her friends before they were separated for the summer.

“I found him in the bathroom by the toilets,” Neville said, holding on tightly to Trever as he hurried up to where they’d been waiting for him.

Apparently it was traditional that first years took the boats back across the lake rather than riding in the carriages with the rest of the students. Rachel would have rather taken the carriages, though she still wasn’t so sure about the horse-like monsters that pulled them.

They called “hello” to Hagrid as they disembarked and he waved heartily to them.

Before long they were settled into a compartment on the train and chatting about what they planned to do over the summer.

“My parents will want to go on holiday for at least part of the time,” Hermione said. “We went to Denmark last year and Germany the year before.”

“I’ve never left Britain,” Neville said. “I wouldn’t mind traveling one day.”

“I can’t wait until I’m old enough to apparate. I’d much rather apparate than take a plane,” Hermione said.

Rachel had never been on a plane, but she thought she might prefer it to apparating.

“You’d have to make several stops and you can’t apparate really long distances,” Theo said. “It’s better to get a portkey.”

“When we were young, my mom took me and my sister on a day trip to France by portkey,” Millie said. “It was fun, but I think it would be more fun now that I know more. To me it was just a day out, I didn’t really even notice we were in France.”

“I’d like to go to France. I bet there is a lot of magical history there,” Hermione said. “All of this will certainly change how I approach traveling.”

“I’m going to ask my Gran if I can have space in the greenhouse,” Neville said. “And some plants, of course.”

_ ‘You have a greenhouse?’  _ Rachel wrote, shoving the parchment in his direction.

“Well, I live at Longbottom Manor with my Gran. I’ll inherit it someday, as my great aunt and uncle never had children and my dad was an only child,” Neville explained.

“Most of the pure-blood manors have extensive grounds and things like greenhouses. The Malfoy Manor has a small Quidditch pitch,” Theo said.

“I knew Draco was rich, I didn’t know he was that rich,” Hermione said.

“Filthy rich,” Millie said. “His great great grandfather had some very lucrative deals with the goblins.”

Rachel shook her head. She couldn’t imagine living in a manor or having her own Quidditch pitch. It was ridiculous.

“What are you doing this summer, Millie?” Hermione asked.

“Nothing in particular. My parents will be glad to see me and I’m sure my sister will want to spend time with me. She’s seven now, so hopefully she’ll be a little bit easier to handle than when she was little,” Millie said. “What about you, Theo?”

“Nothing of note. I’ll probably spend most of my time reading and avoiding my father. I may not live in a manor, but my family has quite an extensive library,” Theo said.

“I’m going to get my parents to take me to Flourish and Blotts first thing. I’m so used to being able to get almost any book I want from the Hogwarts library,” Hermione said.

“What about you, Rachel? Do you have any summer plans with Professor Snape?” Millie asked.

Rachel shrugged and began to write.  _ ‘I think we’re going to go stay in his house when he finishes with the work he has to do at Hogwarts. I’m not sure what we’ll be doing.’  _ She really had no idea what her summer was going to look like.

“You’ll have to let us know what it’s like to live with a professor,” Hermione said.

“I bet he’ll assign you homework if you get in trouble,” Millie said with a giggle.

Rachel had no idea what Professor Snape would do if she caused trouble. She had no intention of causing any trouble whatsoever, but that hadn’t worked out well at the Dursleys.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Theo said, nodding at Rachel. “Professor Snape seems decent.”

“And terrifying,” Neville said. “At least in class.”

“And you made it through your exam just fine, even though you were terrified,” Hermione said, smiling at Neville.

Neville nodded. “I think I even passed.”

The conversation devolved back into how they thought they did in each of their classes and before long they had arrived at King’s Cross Station.

“I’m going to say goodbye now,” Theo said as he got his trunk down from the rack. “I’ll talk to you all on the train on September 1st.”

“Goodbye,” Millie said, patting him on the arm.

Hermione and Neville also said goodbye and Rachel gave him a small wave.

“Poor Theo,” Hermione said after he had gone. “At least he won’t be as alone as he thinks he will be.”

“How?” Millie asked.

“You’ll see, soon enough,” Hermione said. “Alright, I think it’s clear enough we can get through now.”

They grabbed their trunks, though Rachel only had her bag, and made their way off the train.

“My parents will be waiting for me on the muggle side. I’ll talk to you all soon,” Hermione said, giving each of them a hug before she left.

“And there’s my Gran,” Neville said. “Bye.”

Rachel and Millie waved goodbye to Neville and he left to go stand by a severe looking woman.

“And there are my parents,” Millie said. “I hope you have a good summer, Rachel. Can I hug you?”

Rachel nodded and accepted a hug from Millie. Hugging still felt strange, but she was getting a little more used to it.

She spotted Professor Snape, waiting for her by the edge of the platform, and waved goodbye to Millie.

“All of your friends got off safely?” he asked when she met up with him.

Rachel nodded.

“Would you like to go get lunch before we return to Hogwarts?” he asked.

Rachel nodded again.

“A waffle house?” he suggested.

Rachel smiled and nodded once more.

This seemed like a good start to the summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read, commented, gave kudos, subscribed, or bookmarked! I really appreciate all your support and feedback.
> 
> Book 2, Snow Drift, will start next Saturday. If you want to be notified, I recommend subscribing to the series. Thanks again!


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